Department for Transport

Train Operating Companies: Fines

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the fines which were imposed on rail operators that failed to reach the expected level of service in 2017.

Joseph Johnson: In most cases, the Department for Transport (DfT) does not issue fines to Train Operating Companies as this will not necessarily help improve the passenger experience. Instead, the Department usually requires penalties to be reinvested, the value of which are commercially sensitive. DfT has robust processes in place to monitor and enforce this spend to ensure the costs incurred are genuine passenger benefits.

Railways: Infrastructure

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the structural integrity of the UK rail infrastructure’s (a) track and (b) signalling in (i) Control Period 6, (ii) Control Period 7 and (iii) Control Period 8.

Joseph Johnson: The formal assessment of the structural integrity of the rail infrastructure in the UK is a matter for Network Rail, overseen by the independent economic and safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). ORR advises the UK and Scottish Governments on the level of funding required to maintain the performance and sustainability of the rail network. The Government drew on this advice in preparing its Statement of Funds Available for Control Period 6. Government expects to be provided with advice in respect of further Control Periods in due course.

Railways: Freight

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contingency plans he has in place in the event of a rail freight operator entering insolvency.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is committed to working with the rail freight industry to support its continued success, including through the provision of funding for investment in the rail freight network during Control Period 6. There are five Freight Operating Companies in the UK: DB Cargo, Freightliner, GB Railfreight, Colas Rail Services and Direct Rail Services (DRS). All are privately owned by foreign parent companies except DRS which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority established at privatisation to transport nuclear flask. The rail freight industry is highly competitive. Since privatisation, it has transformed into a dynamic and efficient sector. The sector has a proven ability to diversify and innovate in response to changes in market demand, as demonstrated by the recent growth in intermodal and construction traffic following the decline of coal. Government will continue to work with industry to ensure it retains its vital role in the national economy and continues to innovate in order to access new opportunities.

Driving Tests: Driver Information Systems

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the DVSA is taking to monitor the (a) safety during the driving test and (b) effectiveness of the new sat nav element of the driving test.

Jesse Norman: The car practical driving test is continually reviewed, and Management Information data is collated and analysed to assess the effectiveness and safety of all elements of the test, including the new satellite navigation element. The DVSA has established strict processes and procedures in place to record all incidents and analyse contributing factors and, if required, take remedial action. The car practical test risk assessment, which covers the satellite navigation element, is reviewed as part of every incident investigation. The DVSA is also seeking to understand how the new driving test has shaped candidates’ experiences of learning to drive and their feelings towards driving and driver safety. An questionnaire was produced in January and February, which asked questions about the time spent practising for the driving test, and candidates’ experience of the new driving test and their views on driving. Responses to the questionnaire are currently being analysed.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from (a) the Local Government Association and (b) local authorities on the allocation of additional funding from central government to tackle potholes.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has allocated to the London Borough of Redbridge to tackle potholes in each year since 2010.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport receives representations from a variety of organisations, including the Local Government Association and local highway authorities, regarding funding for local highways maintenance. Ministers have met the Local Government Association to discuss a range of issues including highways maintenance.The responsibility for local highways maintenance in London, including repairing potholes, is a devolved matter and therefore falls to Transport for London and the London Boroughs. Since 2010, the Department for Transport has allocated the London Borough of Redbridge with additional funding, on top of the GLA funding, to help repair potholes as set out in the table below. Year£m20100.12420110.27020140.32520180.064Total0.783

Apprentices: Travel

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to introduce significantly discounted bus and train travel for apprentices.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: As per the Conservative manifesto commitment, the Government is clear that it does not want the costs of travel to deter young people from undertaking apprenticeships or training opportunities. Industry is launching a consultation on changes to rail fares, and we look forward to learning through this process and working with industry on these results.The Department is also exploring options for bus travel concessions for apprentices, and is gathering more evidence on the practicability of a number of options.

East Coast Rail Franchise

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains have been cancelled in each month of the last five years for services which come under the terms of the east coast main line franchise.

Joseph Johnson: Network Rail publish all official industry cancellation data which is available on the ORR data portal. The published figures aggregate cancellations for all causes, based on the 13 period rail year. Please see the attached table for more detail.



144799 - Table-cancellations east coast main line
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.53 KB)

Taxis: Licensing

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 24 April, 23 April, 28 March, 26 February, 29 January, 24 January, 22 January, 18 January, 8 January 2018 and 6 December 2017 to Questions 136807, 136288, 134056, 127728,  123767, 123012, 122413, 122522, 120771 and 116150 and with reference to the Answer of 12 February 2018 to Question HL5304, what the timetable is for the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles licensing to (a) submit and (b) publish its report; and what the reasons are for the time taken for that group to submit and publish its report.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: It is expected that the Task and Finish Group will submit its report for ministers to consider next month. The report will be published in due course. While the Department is eager to receive the report it is vital that the independently chaired group is granted the time it deems necessary to hear evidence, consider the issues and evaluate proposals to address these.

Railways: Concessions

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it remains the Government's policy to roll-out the 26-30 year railcard scheme throughout the UK.

Joseph Johnson: This Government is committed to introducing discounted travel options for young people. The 26-30 railcard is currently being tested through an industry-led trial. The Rail Delivery Group is overseeing this trial and the railcard’s implementation. This was announced as part of the Budget by the Chancellor in November 2017 and the Government continues to monitor the progress of this trial. We await further detail from the industry on how a national roll of the railcard can best be delivered.

Northern Ireland Office

Incinerators: Mallusk

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the implications of the High Court judgment of 14 May 2018 on the Mallusk incinerator plant for her policies on ministerial decision-making; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: I am aware of the judgment released on 14 May on the Buick vs Department for Infrastructure case and the UK Government is considering its potential impact.Considering the importance of this judgment and the questions of law involved, I note the NICS decision to appeal. It will be valuable to have these issues fully tested by the Courts so that there is clarity about the implications of the judgment.I recognise that in the ongoing absence of locally appointed Ministers from the elected NI political parties, the civil servants in Northern Ireland have been left with the responsibility of ensuring governance in Northern Ireland. Since January last year, the NICS has continued to manage and maintain the delivery of vital public services in Northern Ireland in very difficult circumstances. The NICS are to be commended for the work they have and continue to do in the public interest.But, I remain firm in my view that the people of Northern Ireland deserve better. It is absolutely crucial that we secure the return of a functioning, effective, devolved government in Northern Ireland, to get back to the business of governing and to take the strategic decisions that affect the long-term future of Northern Ireland and its people.

Sovereignty: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will confirm that she has no plans to seek a border poll in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: It remains my view that a majority of the people of Northern Ireland continue to support the union and that the circumstances requiring a border poll are not satisfied.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Parental Leave

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to establish a statutory period of parental leave for bereaved parents whose children have experienced birth complications or post-natal incidents.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government is supporting the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill introduced by the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton. The Bill provides for a new legal minimum period of two weeks’ leave, which will be a day one right, to enable bereaved parents to take time away from work to grieve if that is what they need. The Bill successfully completed its House of Commons stages on 11 May and was introduced to the House of Lords on 14 May. Parents who lose their child in circumstances such as these would still remain entitled to their full Maternity and Paternity Leave and Pay. The UK has one of the most generous maternity leave entitlements in the world. We believe it is able to cater for a variety of circumstances, including situations where there are birth complications or post-natal incidents. Government would expect employers to treat their employees with compassion and flexibility during these difficult times.

Domestic Appliances: Safety

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to raise the minimum legal safety requirements for for (a) fridges and (b) freezers.

Andrew Griffiths: There are already strict product safety laws in place that apply to fridges and to freezers.Under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations, manufacturers must only place safe electrical goods on the market and they must continue to monitor safety in use and to take appropriate action if those products are subsequently identified as being unsafe. The UK is leading on proposals to enhance the standard for fridges and freezers at an international level.

Rules of Origin

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of rules of origin under the proposed maximum facilitation model on the manufacturing sector.

Richard Harrington: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and his officials have been working closely with businesses across a range sectors, as well as other government departments, to understand the impacts of future customs arrangements, including any rules of origin, on businesses and the economy . As my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister has stated, we are committed to ensuring that trade between the UK and the EU is as frictionless as possible.

Higher Education: Research

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much government research funding was provided to each higher education institution in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Research Councils and HEFCE have provided the following amount of research funding to each higher education institution in the West Midlands in each year since 2010. Table 1 shows research grants and contracts income from Research Councils and Table 2 shows income from HEFCE research grants.Table 1Income from Research Councils (£k)  2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/17Aston University1767126724043049353440973602Birmingham City University249386261227309210192The University of Birmingham35241329753261034092380984435539436University College Birmingham0000000Coventry University59177785211748261099957Harper Adams University (Harper Adams University College until 2012/13)109229196142377868356Keele University†2767272625012494232625992305Newman University0000000Staffordshire University75721138971318The University of Warwick32421281602856532087352193771637109The University of Wolverhampton536190-123042181889University of Worcester0002313687253Table 2Income from HEFCE research grant (£k) 2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/17Aston University6256604358935893575660845892Birmingham City University249163515971710174221532142The University of Birmingham35241422494237141865415723961940488University College Birmingham0000000Coventry University591198018431903193632223261Harper Adams University (Harper Adams University College until 2012/13)109334284299371532546Keele University†2767652861786200629370116927Newman University042251716134154Staffordshire University75654562527530724711The University of Warwick32421329503381933306342153487935900The University of Wolverhampton536193717901783180018841956University of Worcester0216142178211931894   Source – Higher Education Statistics Agency “Finance Plus” publications 2010/11 to 2016/17.

Science and Technology: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the science and technology sectors in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU Exit negotiations and preparations. We have been engaging with relevant stakeholders from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK as part of this process, and will continue to do so as we move forward. We have been clear the Government will not provide an ongoing commentary on internal analytical work that is being carried out within government. As part of our future partnership with the EU, the UK will look to establish an ambitious future agreement on science and innovation that ensures the valuable research links between us continue to grow. In March 2018, the UK and EU negotiating teams reached an important milestone in the Brexit process by agreeing the terms of a time-limited implementation period. The draft Withdrawal Agreement reflects the text of the December Joint Report, which envisages that UK entities’ right to participate in EU programmes will be unaffected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. In addition, the UK Government has committed to underwrite Horizon 2020 funding if necessary. This guarantees funding for UK participants in projects ongoing at the point of exit, as well as any successful bids submitted before the UK leaves the EU.

Space Technology: Finance

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for sites to be informed whether they have been successful in securing a grant towards development as a spaceport.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Our Industrial Strategy recognises the role of new markets like space launch in driving growth across the UK. The Government is delivering a major programme to enable companies to offer small satellite launch and sub-orbital spaceflight from UK spaceports We have considered 26 proposals for grant funding and expect to make an announcement on the results of this process shortly.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Correspondence

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to respond to the letter of 2 May 2018 from Eamon O'Hearn on Unilever Norwich job losses.

Andrew Griffiths: My Rt Hon Friend has replied to this letter.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iran: Nuclear Power

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal on stability in the Middle East.

Alistair Burt: The UK noted with concern and regret the US decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). The UK continues to view the JCPOA as important for our shared security and for stability in the Middle East, through its role in neutralising the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. In his statement to the House on 9 May, the Foreign Secretary was clear that the UK will remain a party to the deal as long as Iran continues to comply with its commitments. We will strive to preserve the gains made by the JCPoA, while continuing to engage with all our partners on how to address shared concerns about Iran's ballistic missile programme and destabilising regional activity.

Israel: Palestinians

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the international community to work together to speed up the process of peace between Palestine and Israel and develop a two state solution.

Alistair Burt: At this highly sensitive time in the region, there is an urgent need to restart the peace process between Israel and Palestine. We regularly press both parties to resume direct negotiations towards a two-state solution. The Foreign Secretary spoke to the Palestinian Authority President Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on 16 May and reiterated the need for progress.

Israel: Arms Trade

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to investigate allegations of Israel’s contravention of UK national arms licensing criteria.

Alistair Burt: ​The Government takes its defence exports responsibilities extremely seriously. We operate some of the most robust export controls in the world. We have no information to suggest that UK supplied equipment has been used in contravention of UK arms licensing criteria.

Israel: Palestinians

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the use of live ammunition against Palestinian protesters.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign Secretary discussed the use of live ammunition against protestors in Gaza with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on 16 May. I also raised concerns regarding this issue with my Israeli counterpart on 13 May and with the Israeli ambassador to the UK on 17 May. As I said in my statement of 14 May, we continue to implore Israel to show greater restraint in its use of live fire.

Iran: Exports

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that UK exports of medical supplies to Iran are protected in light of US sanctions imposed on that country.

Alistair Burt: ​US sanctions legislation provides for exemptions on humanitarian grounds, including for exports of medical supplies.The UK is committed to maintaining sanctions relief to Iran to ensure we meet our obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. In coordination with our European partners, we are looking at what we can do to protect UK and European business interests in Iran.

Mexico: Elections

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to have a role in monitoring the forthcoming general election in Mexico.

Sir Alan Duncan: Officials at the British Embassy in Mexico City have attended briefings on the electoral process presented by Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE) and by the Electoral Tribunal, and will also informally observe the elections as accredited visitors. We understand that the Organisation of American States (OAS) will send a formal observation mission to Mexico for the elections.

Mexico: Elections

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of the Mexican Government on ensuring free and fair elections in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: The United Kingdom continues to follow, closely, the preparations for the forthcoming Elections in Mexico on 1 July. As part of our regular dialogue with Mexico, officials have discussed the forthcoming elections with the Mexican Government. Elections in the past have been judged to be free and fair by accredited international observers, although there remains room for improvement, for example, in the areas of financing and auditing of campaign expenditure. Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE) is responsible for organising the elections and Embassy officials have attended briefing by the INE on the electoral process.

Mexico: Freedom of Expression

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Government of Mexico on the potential effect of its Internal Security Law passed in December 2017 on freedom of expression and the ability to hold free and fair elections in Mexico.

Sir Alan Duncan: Mexico's Internal Security Law provides a legal framework for the military's role in public security. As the law is yet to come into force, the implications of its implementation are unknown.The Embassy has supported the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which has raised concerns with the Government of Mexico on certain aspects of the law, including weaknesses in civilian oversight and accountability. Embassy officials will continue to monitor the implementation of the law including the pending Supreme Court ruling on its constitutionality. The British Embassy funds programmes on human rights, security and justice, including an Embassy-facilitated seminar with the Mexican military and police forces in 2017. We will continue to look for opportunities to work with Mexico in this area, and to urge the Mexican Government to prioritise the reform and strengthening of the police forces.

Cuba: Religious Freedom

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the compatibility of the work of the Office of Religious Affairs in the Cuban Communist Party with the right to freedom of religion or belief in Cuba.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are aware that the Office of Religious Affairs operates a robust programme of regulation over the operation of places of worship, particularly applications for new licences. The reports that religious groups give us of the difficulties they face vary significantly. Some religious groups feel able to operate without hindrance, and report an increasing ability to undertake charitable works in the community. Others report significant challenges ranging from overly bureaucratic requirements to harassment. Overall, the trend in Cuba appears to be towards a more open environment to practise religion. The UK will continue to monitor this situation.

Cuba: Religious Freedom

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on freedom of religion or belief of registration requirements for religious groups in Cuba; and if he will take steps to encourage the establishment of a clear framework for religious groups to operate legally in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Cuban constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and the Office of Religious Affairs has a regulatory function, which includes registration. While some religious groups state there is greater need for clarity in those processes, others report that long delays, and complex bureaucratic requirements are the principal issue. On 16 May, as part of the UN's Universal Periodic Review Process, the UK urged Cuba to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – which includes several articles related to freedom of religion and belief.

Mexico: Religious Persons

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the role that religious leaders play as human rights defenders in Mexico; and what representations he has made to the Government of Mexico on its complying with the recommendations it accepted in the last UN Universal Period Review cycle on ensuring the protection of religious leaders in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK recognises the growing threats faced in Mexico by many Human Rights Defenders (HRDs), including those protecting religious freedom. Officials in the Embassy in Mexico City have regular contact with HRDs and Civil Society Organisations that support them. We work with international partners to monitor cases, observe trials and raise issues with the government. We are working closely with the government of Mexico to support a human rights agenda, including tackling corruption and strengthening the legal system, which some reports suggest are contributing factors to the challenges that HRDs face. Over the past four years, UK Ministers and officials at our Embassy in Mexico City have raised our human rights concerns with the Mexican Government and will continue to raise these, including as part of follow up to the last UN Universal Periodic Review.

Mexico: Religious Freedom

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Mexico on the culture of impunity in that country towards repeat perpetrators of violations of religious freedom.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are working closely with the Government of Mexico to tackle corruption and strengthen the legal system, which some reports suggest are contributing factors to violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief. UK Ministers and officials at our Embassy in Mexico City have raised, and will continue to raise, our human rights concerns with the Mexican Government. We stay in close touch with Civil Society Organisations in Mexico and the UK to help inform our understanding of the situation on the ground. We engage consistently and comprehensively in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process and are considering our recommendations ahead of the next UPR of Mexico in November 2018.

Mexico: Religious Freedom

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has plans to raise issues relating to freedom of religion or belief in Mexico at that country's Universal Periodic Review in November 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are working closely with the Government of Mexico to tackle corruption and strengthen the legal system, which some reports suggest are contributing factors to violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief. UK Ministers and officials at our Embassy in Mexico City have raised, and will continue to raise, our human rights concerns with the Mexican Government. We stay in close touch with Civil Society Organisations in Mexico and the UK to help inform our understanding of the situation on the ground. We engage consistently and comprehensively in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process and are considering our recommendations ahead of the next UPR of Mexico in November 2018.

Russia: Football

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the member of British diplomatic staff with prime responsibility for the safety of UK fans at the 2018 World Cup has been expelled from Russia; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: As my Rt Hon Friend the Foreign Secretary said in the House on 15 May, it is Russia's responsibility to ensure the safety of all fans travelling to the World Cup. We will continue to work to ensure British nationals travelling have the best support possible and will have consular staff based in every city that England will play in. A number of staff across government are working on preparations for the World Cup; not all are based in Russia. As the Foreign Secretary said in his appearance before the Foreign Affairs Committee on 21 March, a member of the Diplomatic Service responsible for fan safety was expelled. An experienced consular official in the British Embassy in Russia has taken over the fan safety responsibilities within Russia.

Israel: Gaza

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he is making to the Government of Israel on their use of ordnance in Gaza.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign Secretary discussed the use of live ammunition against protestors in Gaza with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on 16 May. I have also raised concerns regarding this issue with my Israeli counterpart on 13 May and with the Israeli ambassador to the UK on 17 May. As I said in my statement of 14 May, we continue to implore Israel to show greater restraint in its use of live fire.

Israel: Palestinians

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of whether UK arms were used at the Gaza border against protesters.

Alistair Burt: The Government takes its defence exports responsibilities extremely seriously. We operate some of the most robust export controls in the world. We have no information to suggest that UK supplied equipment has been used in contravention of UK arms licensing criteria.

Department of Health and Social Care

Abortion

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the law on abortion to make it easier for women with complex medical conditions to access abortion services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Parliament decided the circumstances under which abortion can be legally undertaken. As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance. It is accepted Parliamentary practice that proposals for changes in the law on abortion come from back-bench members and that decisions are made on the basis of free votes. The Department recognises that some women with complex medical needs face challenges in accessing timely abortion care and is working with NHS England to ensure there are sufficient facilities in the National Health Service to provide abortions for women who have medical conditions. Currently clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning NHS-funded termination of pregnancy services in England. Ministers have agreed that in 2018/19 NHS England will become the responsible commissioner for a small number of terminations, estimated at between 2,500 and 3,000, where the woman has significant comorbidities, which require critical care and/or medical support that would only be available in co-located NHS facilities. A national service specification will be developed to formally commission this service.

Drugs: Innovation

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to put the UK in the top quartile of comparator countries for the speed of adoption of innovative new medicines.

Caroline Dinenage: The Life Sciences Industrial Strategy (LSIS) set out a vision of being a world-leader in developing and bringing to market innovative medicines to improve patient outcomes and included a strategic ambition for the UK to be in the top quartile of comparator countries for speed of adoption. The Government welcomes the LSIS and supports the ambition to improve uptake. However, simple comparisons of uptake of medicines between different countries with different health systems are very difficult and may not be the most appropriate measure of success. As part of implementing the sector deal, the LSIS Implementation Board will agree a set of success metrics. To deliver against the ambition in the LSIS, the response to the Accelerated Access Review, published last year, set out a series of actions the Government and the National Health Service are taking to increase the rate of uptake of innovative products. We have brought together the key Government, NHS and industry partners through the newly formed Accelerated Access Collaborative, who will oversee the Accelerated Access Pathway, to streamline regulatory and market access decisions, getting breakthrough products that we believe will be truly transformative to patients more quickly. The response also committed to £86 million of support, including £39 million to improve local adoption and uptake of innovative medical technologies through a greater role for the Academic Health and Science Networks and £6 million to help the NHS to adopt and integrate new technologies into everyday practice, through the Pathway Transformation Fund. These build on our existing schemes to encourage quicker patient access such as Early Access to Medicines Scheme and the Innovation Technology Tariff. Additionally, the Innovation Scorecard tracks the uptake of cost-effective new medicines approved by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence.

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what perinatal services his Department makes available to families in Birkenhead constituency; and whether he has made an estimate of the take-up of those services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Perinatal services for families living in the Birkenhead constituency are provided at the following hospitals:- Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust;- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust; and- North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. In addition, perinatal mental health services for Wirral women are provided by mental health midwives at the Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The Department does not hold data relating to the take up of these services.

Drugs: Innovation

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the uptake of innovative new medicines in the UK.

Steve Brine: The Life Sciences Industrial Strategy set out a vision of being a world-leader in developing and bringing to market innovative medicines to improve life of United Kingdom patient’s outcomes. It highlighted the importance of evolving and simplifying the access system for new medicines by implementing, and building on, the findings of the Accelerated Access Review. The response to the Accelerated Access Review, published last year, set out a series of actions the Government and the National Health Service are taking to increase the rate of uptake of innovative products. We have brought together the key Government, NHS and industry partners through the newly formed Accelerated Access Collaborative, which oversees the Accelerated Access Pathway, to streamline regulatory and market access decisions, getting breakthrough products that we believe will be truly transformative to patients more quickly. The response also committed to £86 million of support, including £39 million to improve local adoption and uptake of innovative medical technologies through a greater role for the Academic Health and Science Networks and £6 million to help the NHS to adopt and integrate new technologies into everyday practice through the Pathway Transformation Fund. These build on our existing schemes to encourage quicker patient access such as the Early Access to Medicines Scheme and the Innovation Technology Tariff. Additionally, the Innovation Scorecard tracks the uptake of cost-effective new medicines approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Colorectal Cancer

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that bowel cancer patients get high quality care.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that bowel cancer patients are routinely tested for Lynch syndrome.

Steve Brine: As recommended by the UK National Screening Committee and the independent Cancer Taskforce, NHS England is introducing a new easier to use home testing kit for bowel cancer screening. FIT (Faecal Immunochemical Test for haemoglobin) will replace Faecal Occult Blood testing (FOBt) as the primary screening method from autumn 2018. In April 2018, NHS England published a handbook on how to implement timed bowel cancer diagnostic pathways. Timed pathways are a driver for faster diagnosis of cancer, ensuring that patients are given a diagnosis of cancer or the all clear within 28 days of presenting to their general practitioner with symptoms. Implementation of the timed pathway in full across England by March 2019 is identified as a key deliverable for all services in the NHS Planning Guidance 2018/19. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published diagnostics guidance on the role of testing for Lynch syndrome in people with colorectal cancer in February 2017. NHS England will be working with clinical commissioning group pathology service commissioners to determine whether they can jointly develop a policy proposition relating to genetic testing and the NICE guidance on testing for Lynch syndrome. NHS England will be considering this issue as part of the relevant work programmes during 2018/19.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the change in prescription charges has been in real terms in each year since 2009-10.

Steve Brine: The following table shows the change in prescription charges since 2009/10.Annual prescription charge increase per item dispensed, in England, in real terms, 2009 to 20152009/102010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/172017/182018/19Gross Domestic Product deflator: year on year growth (%)1.51.81.42.11.71.40.72.21.91.5Prescription charge per item dispensed (£)£7.20£7.20£7.40£7.65£7.85£8.05£8.20£8.40£8.60£8.80Increase in prescription charge--2.83.42.62.51.92.42.42.3Real increase in prescription charge (%)-1.81.31.30.91.11.20.20.50.8Source: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) deflators at market prices, and money GDP March 2018 (Quarterly National Accounts) as published by Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT). Notes: For years 2017-18 to 2018-19: figures taken from the Office for Budgetary Responsibility forecasts for GDP deflator increases as of March 2018 Economy supplementary tables, as published by HM Treasury. The cost of a 3-month Prescription Prepayment Certificate (PPC) has been frozen at £29.10 since 2011/12 and the 12-month PPC has been frozen at £104 since 2009/10.

Hospitals: Food

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the spending per in-patient in England on NHS meals was per (a) hospital stay and (b) day in each year since 2009-10.

Stephen Barclay: Spending per in-patient in England on National Health Service meals per hospital stay is not collected centrally. NHS food and meals data is collected annually through Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC). All ERIC data for all trusts in England is published at the following link: http://hefs.hscic.gov.uk/ERIC.asp It includes the cost of feeding one in-patient per day (patient meal day) for all NHS organisations. The average cost of feeding one in-patient per day (patient meal day) is in the attached table, collected at trust level from 2009/10 and trust and site level from 2012/13. The definition of cost includes all pay and non-pay, including provisions, ward issues, disposables, equipment and its maintenance, in addition to provisions and equipment costs related to self-catering arrangements. NHS trusts make decisions locally regarding the type of meals provided and their method of preparation to meet the needs of their patients, which will result in differing costs at trusts.



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Pneumonia and Pneumococcal Diseases

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of deaths from (a) pneumonia and (b) pneumococcal disease.

Steve Brine: There are many bacterial and viral causes of pneumonia, most of which are not preventable. Pneumonia is a common complication of influenza, and influenza vaccine is offered to all adults over 65 years, and those in clinical risk groups. A programme to vaccinate all children with influenza vaccine is being rolled out across the United Kingdom, and it is hoped this will additionally provide some indirect protection to adults. The pneumococcal vaccine programme protects against serious pneumococcal infections and deaths. Vaccination is offered to all children less than two years, adults aged 65 years and over and clinical risk groups. The childhood programme also prevents pneumococcal carriage, thus reducing transmission and preventing thousands of cases, especially in adults and the elderly.

NHS: Fraud

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the annual cost of fraud in the NHS.

Caroline Dinenage: For 2015-16 the estimated level of fraud in the National Health Service in England was £1.25 billion. The NHS Counter Fraud Authority, which was established in November 2017, will produce its first Strategic Intelligence Assessment of the estimated level of fraud in the NHS in England for 2016-17 shortly.

Drugs

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what savings has been generated for the public purse through managed access agreements for new medicines since 2016.

Steve Brine: The Department has made no estimate of savings generated across all agreements. NHS England estimates that in the period from 31 July 2016 to 31 April 2018, Managed Access Agreements for 15 drug indications put in place as part of the Cancer Drugs Fund have collectively generated approximately £41 million of discounts when compared with the price originally offered by companies. It is also estimated by NHS England that savings to the overall National Health Service budget arising from similar recent agreements is in excess of £50 million per year.

Nutrition: Fruit and Vegetables

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to encourage people to include fruit and vegetables in their diets using (a) subsidisation and (b) other new methods.

Steve Brine: The Government actively promotes a healthy diet through the Change 4 Life campaign, One You campaign, the 5-a-day campaign and the Eatwell Guide. The Department is committed to ensuring a healthy diet for children. The Healthy Food Schemes, which include the Healthy Start scheme and the School Fruit and Vegetable scheme, have been designed to help achieve this. The School Fruit and Vegetable scheme gives children in Key Stage 1 who attend participating, fully state-funded schools, a portion of fruit or vegetable every day. The Healthy Start scheme is a targeted scheme which allows for pregnant women and children aged over one and under four from lower income families to receive one £3.10 voucher every week. Children aged under one receive two vouchers, worth £6.20 in total, every week. These vouchers can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of, fruit, vegetables, milk and infant formula. The Government re-affirmed its commitment to Healthy Start in the Childhood Obesity Plan, published in August 2016.

Vaccination

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to ensure that the NHS does not ration access to vaccinations based on cost.

Steve Brine: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an independent expert group, advises the Government on the United Kingdom’s vaccination programmes and who should be eligible for them. The JCVI bases its recommendations on review of a wide range of scientific and other evidence including from the published literature and commissioned studies such as independent analyses of vaccine effectiveness and cost effectiveness. This aims to ensure that vaccination programmes improve the public’s health and provide good value for money.

Vaccination

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding was allocated by his Department to vaccination programmes in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 February 2018 to Question 127364.

Vaccination

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department has allocated for vaccination programmes in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21 following the 2015 spending review.

Steve Brine: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 February 2018 to Question 127365.

Vaccination: Children

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many local authority areas met the WHO recommended 95 per cent uptake target for childhood immunisation programmes in 2016-17.

Steve Brine: The information requested is shown in the following tables. Local authorities with 95% coverage at 12 months of ageImmunisationDiphtheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis, Inactivated Polio Vaccine, Hib (DTaP/IPV/Hib)Pneumococcal vaccine (PCV)RotavirusNumber of local authorities*68669 Local authorities with 95% coverage at 24 months of ageImmunisationDTaP/IPV/Hib primaryMeasles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) first doseHaemophilus influenzae type b and meningitis C (Hib/MenC) boosterPCV boosterNumber of local authorities*107373334 Local authorities with 95% coverage at five years of ageImmunisationDTaP/IPV/Hib primaryDTaP/IPV boosterMMR first doseMMR first and second doseHib/MenC boosterNumber of local authorities*1105101751 Note: *The data are based on 149 local authorities in England. Rutland is included in Leicestershire, City of London in Hackney and the Isles of Scilly in Cornwall. Reached 95% is defined as more than or equal to 95.0% (those achieving 94.9% are not counted). Further information is available in the Childhood Vaccination Coverage Statistics, England, 2016-17 at the following link: http://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB30085

Diabetes: Disadvantaged

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential correlation between the prevalence of diabetes and measures of deprivation across the country.

Steve Brine: The National Diabetes Audit records the Index of Multiple Deprivation status of diabetes patients (and other patient characteristics) and presents this data annually. This is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/national-diabetes-audit/national-diabetes-audit-report-1-care-processes-and-treatment-targets-2016-17 In 2016/17, type 2 diabetes was 60% more common among people in the most deprived quintile compared with those in the least deprived quintile; 24% of people with type 2 diabetes were from the most deprived quintile compared to 15% from the least deprived quintile in England.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what impact assessment he has made of the advice of the Department of Transport’s Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Visual Disorders on driving and diabetes on the uptake of glucose monitors for the management of diabetes.

Steve Brine: NHS England has confirmed that no impact assessment has been made of the Department of Transport’s Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Visual Disorders on driving and diabetes on the uptake of glucose monitors for the management of diabetes.

Diabetes

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans are in place to encourage the uptake of diagnostics in diabetes.

Steve Brine: The Healthier You: NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme supports patients identified at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes through a behaviour change programme. Over the course of 9 – 12 months, group sessions help patients achieve a healthy weight, improve nutrition and increase their levels of physical activity. As part of the programme, NHS England has provided implementation funding to local health economies (sustainability and transformation partnerships, and their partner clinical commissioning groups and local authorities) to support the identification, coding, and onward referral of those individuals at high risk of type 2 diabetes.

NHS Trusts: Standards

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS Trusts met their A&E winter pressure targets over the last winter period.

Stephen Barclay: The target for accident and emergency (A&E) performance is for 95% of patients to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of arrival at A&E departments. This target applies throughout the year, not just over the winter period. There is no such thing as A&E winter pressure targets. NHS England publishes monthly performance data against the standard at both national and NHS trust level for trusts within England. This data is available via the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/

Joint Committee On Vaccination and Immunisation

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what time timetable for the agenda of the next meeting of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to be published is.

Steve Brine: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) code of practice states that the agenda for a JCVI meeting is published about one week before the meeting. The next meeting will be held on 6 June 2018. The JCVI code of practice is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation

Chief Medical Officer: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14th May 2018 to Question 141013 on Official Cars, how many times the Chief Medical Officer has used an official car and driver in each of the last two years.

Caroline Dinenage: During the last two financial years, the Chief Medical Officer has used an official car and driver the following number of times: 2016/17 - Three 2017/18 - Nil

Hospices

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an estimate of the financial effect of the proposed NHS pay increases on voluntary sector hospices.

Stephen Barclay: The proposed Agenda for Change pay framework, which includes contract reform and pay awards over three years, is currently out to consultation with the National Health Service trades unions and the outcome will be known in early June. We are considering the impact of the agreement on non-NHS organisations such as hospices that may be affected by the proposed deal however no decisions have been made. Staff in hospices do a fantastic job in delivering world-class care. The Department remains fully committed to improving palliative and end of life care.

Ibrutinib

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the interpretation by NHS England of NICE guidance on the level of provision of Ibrutinib for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to ensure NHS England provides funding for Ibrutinib for chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance recommending ibrutinib for use in the treatment of previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia with 17p deletion or TP53 mutation in January 2017. NHS England is legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance in line with NICE’s recommendations. NICE has not been able to make a recommendation on the use of ibrutinib for use in the treatment of other patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia because no evidence submission was received from the product’s manufacturer. Ibrutinib is not therefore routinely commissioned for National Health Service patients for these other indications. NICE will review this decision if the company decides to make an evidence submission.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish correspondence by Ministers with external bodies from the period between January 2018 and 2 May 2018 relating to the breast cancer screening failure.

Steve Brine: To provide the information requested would incur disproportionate cost. The independent review announced on 2 May will investigate the handling and escalation of the breast screening failure between January and May 2018. Any relevant correspondence between Ministers with external bodies will be collated and shared with the independent review. The review is due to report in November 2018. As my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care committed to in the House on 2 May, the briefing notes from Public Health England to the Department and the Chief Medical Officer on 15 January 2018 were sent to the hon. Member on Thursday 17 May.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish updated information on the number of women since 2010 who have failed to receive breast cancer screening as a result of the recent breast cancer screening failure.

Steve Brine: Work is ongoing between NHS Digital and Public Health England to refine the statistics of the number of women affected by the serious issues with the Breast Screening Programme. This work will be completed by the end of May and the Secretary of State will provide an update shortly thereafter.

NHS: Pay

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to fully fund the proposed pay award for Agenda For Change NHS Staff for all affected organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The Chancellor was explicit that additional funding, above that already factored into the 2015 Spending Round, was tied to extensive reforms to the Agenda for Change contract for staff employed in National Health Service organisations to help improve recruitment, retention, increase capacity and improve productivity. The proposed Agenda for Change pay framework, which includes contract reform and pay awards over three years, is currently out to consultation with the NHS trades unions and the outcome will be known in early June. We are considering the impact of the agreement on non-NHS organisations that may be affected by the proposed deal, however no decisions have been made.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that clinical commissioning groups implement the NICE DG27 guidance, Molecular testing strategies for Lynch syndrome in people with colorectal cancer.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published DG27, ‘Molecular testing strategies for Lynch syndrome in people with colorectal cancer’ in February 2017. The guidance recommends how healthcare professionals should care for people with this condition. It is therefore for the clinician to take this information into account (alongside individual circumstances and medical history) when determining the best course of action for the patient and application may vary depending on the individual case. NHS England will be working with clinical commissioning group pathology service commissioners to determine whether they can jointly develop a policy proposition relating to genetic testing and the NICE guidance on testing for Lynch syndrome. NHS England will be considering this issue as part of the relevant work programmes during 2018/19.

Diabetes

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the level of (a) access to and (b) uptake of diabetes prevention (i) methods and (ii) programmes in each clinical commissioning group area; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The information requested is not centrally held. The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NHS DPP) commenced roll out in June 2016 and to the end of March 2018, 182,846 have been referred to the NHS DPP and 78,326 have commenced programmes, ahead of profile. NHS Digital would be able to provide a partial response to the information requested pending receipt of the end of year extract for primary care National Diabetes Audit data, which will include NHS DPP audit data. Final report publication will be scheduled for early 2019 dependent on the quality of data received.

Obesity: Children

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what change has been recorded in rates of childhood obesity in each year from 2011 to 2017.

Steve Brine: The following table shows the proportion of children in state schools in England in Reception (age four to five) and Year Six (age 10-11) that were obese according to the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) between school years 2011/12 and 2016/17 (the latest year of data available). In 2011/12, obesity prevalence in Reception children was 9.5%, and in Year Six children was 19.2%. In 2016/17, obesity prevalence in Reception children was 9.6%, and in Year Six children was 20.0%. Further information is available here: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/national-child-measurement-programme Obesity prevalence by school year and NCMP collection year School YearNCMP collection yearObesity prevalence (%)Reception2011/129.52012/139.32013/149.52014/159.12015/169.32016/179.6Year 62011/1219.22012/1318.92013/1419.12014/1519.12015/1619.82016/1720.0

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS trust has not met the target for 95 percent of patients entering A&E to be treated or admitted in 4 hours since September 2015; how many discussions he has had with that trust to understand why they have not achieved that target for 30 continuous months; what steps he has taken over the past 12 months to support A&E services within that trust in meeting that target; and what steps he plans to take to support that trust in meeting that target.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS trust has had a 6 per cent reduction over the past 12 months away from the target for 85 per cent of patients to begin treatment within 62 days of urgent GP referral; how many discussions he has had with Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS trust to understand for what reasons they have not achieved that target for 18 continuous months; what steps he has taken over the past 12 months to support cancer services within Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS trust; and what steps he plans to take to support that trust in meeting that target.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS trust has had a 13.2 per cent reduction over the past 12 months away from the target of ensuring that 92 per cent of patients are waiting less than 18 weeks for planned operations and care; how many discussions he has had with Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS trust to understand for what reasons they (a) rank 127th out of 127 NHS trusts for that target and (b) have not achieved that target for 27 continuous months; what steps he has taken over the past 12 months to support such planned treatments within Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS trust; and what steps he plans to take to support that trust in meeting that target.

Stephen Barclay: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care attends weekly meetings with NHS England and NHS Improvement to discuss National Health Service performance at a local level. It is the responsibility of NHS trust boards, their commissioners and regulators, and of the clinicians who work at trusts, to ensure service delivery meets the required performance standards. In addition to these regular meetings, the Secretary of State attended a meeting with representatives of North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust on 24 April 2018 to discuss ongoing quality and performance issues. A range of actions have been taken and are underway to help improve performance at the Trust, including working with the Emergency Care Improvement Programme to formulate and enact an action plan, implementing a system of primary care streaming and planning to establish an urgent treatment centre co-located with the accident and emergency department and a specific improvement focus on the 62-day cancer standard and the elimination of long waits for treatment.

Prisoners: Opiates

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of prisoners with a history of opioid misuse were provided with Naloxone when released from prison in the latest year for which information is available; and from which prisons those prisoners were released.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Information on how many prisoners are provided with naloxone when released from prison in England is not currently available. This data is due to be published in 2019.

Prisoners: Opiates

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make the supply of the opioid-overdose antidote Naloxone to all at-risk prisoners upon their release a mandatory requirement for prisons.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Naloxone has a vital role in saving lives and the Government is committed to widening its use in England. There is no national programme that mandates the supply of Naloxone for at-risk prisoners on their release, and the Government does not have any plans to bring forward legislation to make this a mandatory requirement for prisons. The commissioning of substance misuse treatment for prisoners is the responsibility of health and justice commissioning teams in 10 of NHS England’s area teams, supported by a central health and justice team. The Government expects commissioners and providers of substance misuse services in prisons and in the community to work together closely in respect to prisoners being released from custody to ensure seamless transfers of care.

Learning Disability: Death

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to extend the Learning Disability Mortality Review programme beyond 2019.

Caroline Dinenage: The delivery of the Learning Disability Mortality Review (LeDeR) Programme, which is focused on monitoring and addressing premature mortality for people with a learning disability, is a key element of the national cross-system learning from deaths programme. The LeDeR programme is delivered by the University of Bristol, under contract to the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, which commissioned the programme on behalf of NHS England. NHS England has informed the Department that the programme is part of NHS England’s work to improve services for people with a learning disability and their families. The original contract arrangement was for a three year period with the option to extend the LeDeR programme for a fourth and fifth year. NHS England has extended the programme for 2018/19 (year four). To support the delivery of the LeDeR programme in 2018/19, NHS England secured an additional £1.4 million funding to support local clinical commissioning group/sustainability and transformation partnership areas to better establish their review programmes and reduce backlogs of reviews. A decision by NHS England to extend the LeDeR programme for a fifth year has not been taken.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Trusts in England offered (a) one (b) two (c) three and (d) more than three courses of IVF treatment as a routine service to eligible women in each of the years between 2010 and 2018.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information he holds on the number of NHS Trusts which implemented in full NICE guidelines for the provision of IVF treatment in each year between 2010 and 2018 to date.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not collected centrally.

Abortion: Misoprostol

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of approving the home as a place for pregnant women to take misoprostol.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government’s priority is to ensure that women who require abortion services have access to safe, high-quality care. Abortions in England must be performed under the legal framework set by the Abortion Act 1967. We are not currently in a position to recommend that the home be approved as a class of place under Section 1(3)(a) of the Abortion Act in England. However, we are keeping the position under review, including reviewing the available evidence, and having regard to the ongoing legal proceedings concerning home use in Scotland.

Social Services: Finance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England is legally required to ring fence any part of its allocation to Clinical Commissioning Groups to ensure it is used for Better Care Fund schemes which are classified as social care.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS England is legally required under the NHS Act 2006 to seek to achieve the objectives set out in the Mandate to NHS England for 2018-19. Progress will be monitored throughout the year, including through the Secretary of State’s quarterly accountability meetings with NHS England. The Secretary of State will also lay in Parliament and publish an annual assessment of NHS England’s performance. This will set out the extent to which NHS England has met mandate objectives. Under section 223G of the NHS Act 2006, NHS England has the power to set conditions on allocations of funds to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The conditions in relation to the current Better Care Fund (BCF) plans, which cover 2017-19, are set out in the Integration and Better Care Fund Policy Framework for 2017-191 and the Integration and Better Care Fund Planning Requirements for 2017-192 and are: plans to be jointly agreed; NHS contribution to adult social care is maintained in line with inflation; Agreement to invest in NHS commissioned out-of-hospital services, which may include seven day services and adult social care; and managing transfers of care. CCGs have been directed by NHS England that these conditions will apply in 2017-19 in relation to the CCG minimum allocation for each body3. The current, two-year BCF cycle is already in train, with CCG operating plans and BCF spending plans already agreed locally and approved by NHS England. Apart from an opportunity for a minor refresh where needed, to align BCF metrics, we expect areas to move ahead as planned to serve their local populations for the remaining period.4 Notes: 1 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/integration-and-better-care-fund-policy-framework-2017-to-2019 2 https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/integration-better-care-fund-planning-requirements.pdf 3D. N. The Better Care Fund Operating Guidance for 2018-19 (working draft to Integrated Working Group on 5/4/2018), para. 62 4D. N. Core lines prepared in the run up of the release of NHS Mandate 18-19) (as at 19/3/2018)

NHS England

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to ensure NHS England achieves the objectives set out in the Mandate for 2018-19.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) sanctions and (b) penalties his Department can be apply to NHS England in the event that it fails to meet the objectives established in its mandate for 2018-19.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the effect is of the non-renewal of the annual mandate under section 13A of the National Health Service Act 2006 on the requirement for compliance by the Board of NHS England with its responsibilities and delegated authorities as set out in the Framework Agreement between the Department of Health and NHS England and Managing Public Money.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England is legally required, under the NHS Act 2006, to seek to achieve the objectives set out in the Mandate to NHS England for 2018-19. Progress will be monitored throughout the year, including through the Secretary of State’s quarterly accountability meetings with NHS England. The Secretary of State will also lay in Parliament and publish an annual assessment of NHS England’s performance. This will set out the extent to which NHS England has met mandate objectives. In seeking to achieve mandate objectives, NHS England will need to comply with its responsibilities and delegated authorities as set out in the ‘Framework Agreement’ and ‘Managing Public Money’. This is unaffected by the Government’s decision to not lay regulations which have previously underpinned NHS England’s compliance with these documents. As an arm’s-length body of the Government, NHS England is required to comply with ‘Managing Public Money’ and it is a signatory to the ‘Framework Agreement’. The Secretary of State has a range of intervention powers in relation to NHS England. The Department and NHS England work closely together to ensure the use of these powers is not required.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his oral contribution of 2 May 2018, Official Report, column 325, when he plans to provide a detailed answer to the question from the hon. Member for Halton.

Steve Brine: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health responded to the hon. Member on Thursday 17 May. The independent review announced on 2 May, will also investigate why quality assurance processes did not pick up the problem earlier, whether any warnings should have been heeded earlier and whether the issue was escalated to Ministers at the appropriate time. The review is due to report in November 2018.

Crimes of Violence: Medical Treatments

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on the treatment of (a) acid attack victims, (b) knife attack victims and (c) victims of violent crime in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not hold data in relation to the individual costs of these types of treatments.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the support for drugs rehabilitation provided to prisoners on their release from prison.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Public Health England monitors the number of adults with substance misuse treatment needs who engage with community treatment after release from prison. In 2016-17, 30.3% of adults leaving prison went on to engage with community treatment within three weeks of their release. Further information is available at: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework/data#page/0/gid/1000042/pat/6/par/E12000007/ati/102/are/E09000009 Local authorities are responsible for assessing local need for drug treatment and commissioning services to meet these needs, including support for people leaving prison.

NHS: Negligence

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in how many medical negligence claims against the NHS which were settled in the last five years legal proceedings were issued; and in how many such claims (a) damages payments were made, (b) the issue of proceedings has been required in order to obtain court approval of the settlement and (c) damages payments were not made.

Stephen Barclay: NHS Resolution handles clinical negligence claims on behalf of National Health Service organisations and independent sector providers of NHS care in England. NHS Resolution has provided the following information: The following table shows the number of litigated clinical claims closed 2012/13 to 2016/17 as at the end of each respective closure year: Year of ClosureWith DamagesNil DamagesTotal2012/132,0097232,7322013/142,2027402,9422014/152,2917713,0622015/162,5147973,3112016/173,2171,0174,234 It is not possible to say which of these claims required court approval of the settlement, because NHS Resolution does not record this information in a way that can be easily or quickly extracted.

Nurses: Apprentices

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what wage rate is paid to apprentice nurses by NHS employers.

Stephen Barclay: Pay rates for apprentices are set by individual trusts at a local level. NHS Employers have issued interim guidance to National Health Service employers on pay for nurse apprentices suggesting employers pay an interim pay rate for new entrants of Band 3. Negotiations continue as part of the reform of the Agenda for Change contract to agree guidance on NHS apprentice pay at a national level, which will be decided by the NHS Staff Council.

Babies: Death

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Health Service Investigation Branch plans to being its investigation into avoidable baby deaths.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional (a) funding and (b) resources have been allocated to the Health Service Investigation Branch for its investigation into avoidable baby deaths; and what the timeframe is for that funding.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether hospitals are compelled to accept and act on Health Service Investigation Branch recommendations that result from the investigation of avoidable baby deaths.

Caroline Dinenage: In November 2017, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced that, from April 2018, the Health Service Investigation Branch (HSIB) would investigate each case of early neonatal death, term intrapartum stillbirth and severe brain injury in babies, as well as each case of maternal death in England. This remit and the definition of qualifying maternity cases was set out in the Secretary of State’s directions, NHS Trust Development Authority (HSIB Maternity Investigations) Directions 2018, published on 26 April 2018. The new investigative approach began in a single region in April 2018 and will roll out to all areas of England during 2018/19. Rollout will be complete by the end of March 2019. It is estimated that there are approximately 1,000 cases of birth-related deaths or serious brain injuries in babies in England every year. The expectation is that the learning from investigations will spur system improvements leading to fewer deaths and injuries in the future. The HSIB has been allocated £8 million of additional funding to implement the new maternity investigation programme in 2018/19. The HSIB will produce an investigation report for each maternity investigation it undertakes and will make recommendations to the relevant National Health Service trust or foundation trust. It will be for individual trusts to put into place actions to address the recommendations of individual reports and ensure that the learning from HSIB investigations is put into practice so that avoidable harms are reduced. The Care Quality Commission, which monitors, inspects and regulates NHS providers does, in carrying out its functions, take into account a variety of data and intelligence sources. The HSIB maternity investigation recommendations and the actions NHS trusts and foundation trusts have taken in response could form part of these data sources and be taken into account where relevant.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of the back-pay liability for social care providers on trends in the number of care workers.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government recognises the pressure these liabilities are placing on providers of social care and the effect this could have on the workforce and we are exploring options to minimise any impact on the sector. It is crucially important that we ensure stability within social care; not just for vulnerable service users, but also for the many thousands of low paid workers.

Nurses: Apprentices

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many nursing associates had begun apprenticeship courses by the end of April 2018.

Stephen Barclay: Health Education England (HEE) reports that 1,018 nursing associates had started apprenticeship courses between January and March 2018. Figures for April 2018 onwards are not yet available. According to HEE figures there were also 2,023 nursing associates recruited onto a pilot programme across 35 HEE pilot sites in 2017. The first of these pilot cohorts are due to complete their training and become qualified nursing associates in January 2019. The latest figures provided by HEE show that there are currently just over 3,000 nursing associates in training.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government plans to publish its response to the Report on Child Migration Programmes published by the Independence Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse on 1 March 2018.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The policy of child migration was misguided and deeply flawed. We are carefully considering the content and recommendations in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse report on the Child Migration Programmes, and will provide a formal response in due course.

Dementia

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was allocated from the public purse to dementia research in 2016-17.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). NIHR does not usually ring-fence funds for specific disease areas such as dementia. NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health including dementia. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. NIHR funding for dementia research grew to £44.6 million in 2016/17, up from £37 million in 2015/16. This is a major contribution to meeting the commitment under the Government’s 2020 Dementia Challenge, to maintain funding at £60 million a year. The other main public funders of dementia research are the Medical Research Council, which in 2016/17 spent £30.6 million, and the Economic and Social Research Council, which spent £2.5 million, to bring total Government spending on dementia research to £83.1 million.

Dementia

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding from the public purse the Government plans to allocate to dementia research in the 2018-19 financial year.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The usual practice of NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics, with research proposals from all areas competing for available funding. NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health including dementia. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. The amount of NIHR funding in a disease area therefore depends on scientific activity. However, the Government’s 2020 Dementia Challenge makes a commitment to maintain public funding for dementia research at £60 million a year to 2020. NIHR funding for dementia research grew to £44.6 million in 2016/17, with total public funding for dementia research standing at £83.1 million, ahead of the 2020 commitment.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, how many of his Department's invitations to tender have received no bidders in the last two years.

Robert Buckland: Holding answer received on 09 May 2018



The Government Legal Department (GLD), Attorney General Office (AGO) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HM CPSI) engage a centrally managed procurement service in procurements of more than £10,000. For 2016-17 and 2017-18, an examination of records held by the centrally managed procurement service indicated that there were no instances of an invitation to tender where bids were not received.Similarly, during the financial years 2016-17 and 2017-18 no invitations to tender by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) or the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) exceeding OJEU thresholds received no bidders.

GPT Special Project Management: Saudi Arabia

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Attorney General, if he will provide an update on the status of the case of the Serious Fraud Office investigation into allegations concerning GPT and the conduct of its business in Saudi Arabia.

Jeremy Wright: Progress continues to be made on the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation into allegations concerning GPT and aspects of the conduct of their business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, as was the position in June 2017, it would not be appropriate for me to discuss the status of a live criminal investigation further at this stage.When it is appropriate to do so the SFO publish updates on the status of the GPT case on their website. The most recent information can be found at: www.sfo.gov.uk/cases/gpt-special-project-management-ltd/.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Financial Services

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the options for an agreement on the terms for the UK's financial services industry after the end of the transition period are.

Mr Robin Walker: Earlier this year, the Prime Minister set out the UK’s vision for its future economic partnership with the EU at Mansion House and the Chancellor detailed how this would work for financial services during a speech at HSBC. We will be seeking a bold and ambitious free trade agreement between the UK and the EU. Such a deal will be of greater scope and ambition than any such agreement before it, so that it covers sectors crucial to our linked economies such as financial services. This will require detailed technical talks, but as the UK is an existing EU member state, both sides have regulatory frameworks and standards that already match, with full alignment on Day One of our exit. As the Prime Minister set out, we will not be seeking passporting, because we understand this is intrinsic to the single market of which we would no longer be member. Also, the Chancellor has been clear that a deal based on the EU’s existing third-country equivalence regimes would be inadequate for the scale and complexity of UK-EU trade. Instead, given the highly regulated nature of financial services, and our shared desire to manage financial stability risks, we will need a collaborative, objective framework that is reciprocal, mutually agreed, and permanent and therefore reliable for business. The Government has said that the principle of mutual recognition and reciprocal regulatory equivalence, provided it is objectively assessed, with proper governance structures, dispute resolution mechanisms, and sensible notice periods for market participants, could provide an effective basis for such a partnership.

Department for Education

Education: Ethnic Groups

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to tackle the attainment gap among BAME students.

Nadhim Zahawi: Our education policies are intended to ensure that all young people, whatever their background or circumstances, have the opportunity to reach their potential. There is no single picture of Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) attainment, but rather substantial variation between different groups. Students from some BAME groups attain at or above the national average for all pupils at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4. This includes pupils of Chinese, Indian, Mixed White and Asian, Irish, Bangladeshi, Mixed White and Black African, and Black African origin. Attainment for Pakistani, Mixed White and Black Caribbean pupils, whilst still below the national average, has increased at a faster rate than for other groups over the last four years, and consequently attainment gaps have narrowed. Teachers and school leaders are best placed to understand and respond to the specific needs of their pupils and increase opportunity and attainment for all their pupils, including particular barriers faced by BAME pupils. We have, therefore, focused our efforts on creating an environment whereby teachers and leaders have the autonomy to do the best for their pupils, backed by robust accountability and funding. Given the clear influence of economic circumstance on pupil attainment, we have continued to provide schools with additional funding through the pupil premium to support their disadvantaged pupils. BAME pupils disproportionately benefit from the pupil premium. The data that we gather on the educational outcomes of children and young people from BAME groups will continue to be published on the Cabinet Office’s ‘Ethnicity Facts and Figures’ website (https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/). This website publishes, in one place, data from across government on how outcomes from public services vary for people of different ethnicities.

Education: North of England

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the attainment gap between students from the North and South of England.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Services: Children

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authority children’s services receive sufficient funding to support vulnerable young people.

Nadhim Zahawi: The 2015 Spending Review made available more than £200 billion until 2020 for councils to deliver the local services their communities want to see, including children’s services. In February, Parliament confirmed the 2018-19 settlement for local government, providing a real terms increase in resources available, from £44.3 billion in 2017-18 to £45.1 billion in 2018-19. Funding for children’s services is an un-ring fenced part of the wider local government finance settlement. Local authorities have used this flexibility to increase spending on the most vulnerable children by around a £1 billion since 2010.

Schools: Finance

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason he did not implement grant funding for Year Seven catch-up proposals.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 17 May 2018



Last autumn, the Department invited teaching schools to submit outline bids for grants to be made from an additional £500,000 funding (to be used within the 2017-18 financial year) to enable them to deliver small-scale projects to support other schools in making more effective use of their Year 7 catch up premium funding. In the event, the Department decided that awarding these grants so close to the end of the financial year would not provide best value for money and no funding was awarded. The Department provides £50 million of funding per year directly to secondary schools through the Year 7 Catch Up Premium. This funding is for activity to help Year 7 pupils who did not meet the expected standard at Key Stage 2 catch up in mathematics and reading.

Pre-school Education

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the timetable is for the publication of the next statistical set on early years provision for children under five years in the local-authority-maintained, private, voluntary and independent sectors in England.

Nadhim Zahawi: The ‘Provision for children under five years of age in England - January 2018’ statistical publication will be released within the next three months. In line with the National Statistics code of practice, the specific release date will be announced at least four weeks in advance of publication at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements?utf8=%E2%9C%93&organisations%5B%5D=department-for-education.

Free School Meals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to collect data on the number of pupils in England who are eligible for free school meals on the ground of household income but are not registered for such meals; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: Our latest research on the take-up of free school meals (FSM) was published in December 2013. We are currently considering whether to commission further analysis.We are also exploring what opportunities exist in the longer term to make FSM registration processes more efficient. We provide an eligibility-checking system to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities. We have also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM.To increase registration for FSM, guidance is provided to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that Universal Credit recipients can be made aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including FSM.

John Roan School

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when Ofsted plans to publish its final report of its 21 and 22 March 2018 inspection of The John Roan secondary school in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich, and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

GCSE: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children designated as in need achieved (a) five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics and (b) no A* to C grades at GCSE excluding equivalents in (i) Coventry and (ii) the West Midlands from 2008 to the most recent year for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number and proportion of children designated as in need that achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics is published within the additional tables of the Characteristics of children in need statistical releases: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-children-in-need. Figures are provided at local authority level in table L5 of the additional (or outcomes) tables for the years 2012 to 2016. Data for earlier years is not available. Information for the latest year (2017) is not available because of the changes to the secondary accountability framework. Information on the number and proportion of children designated as in need that achieved no A* to C grades at GCSE excluding equivalents is not available and could only be produced at disproportionate cost.

University of Chester Academies Trust

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether emergency funding has been provided by the Education and Skills Funding Agency to the University of Chester Academies Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the management performance of the University of Chester Academies Trust as a result of its reporting a financial deficit; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has provided additional funding to the University of Chester Academies Trust (the trust) to support the continuity of school operations and to ensure the ongoing delivery of education for all pupils within its schools. The Department for Education has assessed the performance of the trust and challenged its governance arrangements. This led to the appointment of a new CEO in October 2017 and the University of Chester taking a more proactive role in the trust. It also resulted in the ESFA issuing a Financial Notice to Improve (FNtI) on 4 May 2018, reflecting the weak financial management at the trust. A link to the FnTI published on the Department for Education website on 11 May 2018 can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/705304/UniversityofChesterTrust_FNTI.pdf. The FNtI sets out the requirements to improve financial management, control and governance at the trust. Officials continue to work closely with the trust to bring about the required levels of improvements.

Social Mobility Commission: Public Appointments

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2018 to Question 137063, what other diversity monitoring data was collected from applicants for the position of Chair of the Social Mobility Commission.

Nadhim Zahawi: All applicants for the role of Chair of the Social Mobility Commission were asked to complete a diversity monitoring form. This form asked the candidate to state the following information: GenderWhether they considered themselves to have a disabilityEthnicityAge bandSexual orientationReligion or beliefPrincipal place of residenceMain employment and occupational sector These responses were anonymised when considering applications.

Children: Protection

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the reasons why Morecambe Bay Primary School failed to meet the threshold to retain the support of a social worker team to reduce the number of children on child protection plans to zero.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally.

T-levels: Rural Areas

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has he made of the propensity of students living and studying in rural areas to take up T levels.

Anne Milton: We want students to be able to access high quality T level programmes, regardless of where they live. We are aware of the potential barriers that students living in rural areas face, particularly in relation to accessing industry placements. We will work closely with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to understand which students may find it difficult to access a placement, and how we can make sure that they are not disadvantaged in any way. Providers in receipt of capacity and delivery fund allocations to support industry placements have also been allocated additional 16-19 discretionary bursary funding of just under £2.5 million to support students on their placements, for example, to help with their travel costs.

T-levels

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to inform further education providers on whether they will be delivering T-levels.

Anne Milton: Earlier this year, the department invited further education providers to submit an expression of interest to deliver the first T levels in the 2020 to 2021 academic year. There was significant interest from providers, with over 200 expressions of interests submitted. On 27 April, the Education & Skills Funding Agency wrote to all those providers who submitted an expression of interest to inform them that they will be notified of the outcome of this by the end of May.

Sixth Form Colleges: Finance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Oral Answer of the Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills of 14 May 2018, Official Report, column 6, on Sixth-Form Colleges: Funding, whether funding for 16 and 17 year olds will be included in the Government's post-18 review.

Anne Milton: We have protected the base rate of funding for 16 to19-year olds until 2020 to make sure every young person has access to the education or training they deserve, and we will be investing an additional £500 million a year in technical education once T Levels are fully rolled out. Sixth form colleges play a key role in the 16 to 19 system and we are actively considering the efficiency and resilience of the further education sector. We will also be assessing how far existing and forecast funding and regulatory structures meet the costs of delivering high quality provision. This work will align closely with the major Review of Post-18 Education and Funding which will ensure a coherent vision for further and higher Education.

Teachers: Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the adequacy of training for teachers on child bereavement.

Nick Gibb: The Government does not prescribe the content of initial teacher training (ITT) courses. It is for ITT providers to use their discretion to determine the content and structure of courses, but they must be designed so that teacher trainees can demonstrate that they meet all of the Teachers' Standards at the appropriate level to be awarded Qualified Teacher Status. The Standards set out the key elements of effective teaching minimum expectations for the professional practice and conduct of teachers. They can be viewed here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards.Teachers’ Standards require trainees to “have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupils’ ability to learn, and how best to overcome these; and demonstrate an awareness of the physical, social and intellectual development of children, and know how to adapt teaching to support pupils’ education at different stages of development.”‘A Framework of core content for Initial Teacher Training’, published in July 2016 says providers “should equip trainees to analyse the strengths and needs of all pupils effectively, ensuring that they have an understanding of cognitive, social, emotional, physical and mental health factors that can inhibit or enhance pupils’ education.” The Framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-government-response-to-carter-review.Ofsted is responsible for making judgements about the quality of training and the leadership and management of an ITT partnership. As part of ITT provider inspections, Ofsted has due regard to the Teachers’ Standards and framework of core content. 99% of all ITT partnerships inspected by Ofsted were judged to be either good or outstanding at their most recent inspection. The Ofsted ITT inspection handbook can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-education-inspection-handbook

Pupils: Hyperactivity

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take to increase support for teenagers with ADHD in schools.

Nadhim Zahawi: Our new contract, which will be delivered by the Whole School Send Consortium, brings together schools, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) sector organisations and experts to ensure schools are equipped to deliver high-quality teaching that supports children with all kinds of SEND including those with ADHD.

Sex and Relationship Education

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to ensure that relationships and sex education is (a) impartial and (b) LGBT-inclusive in all types of schools.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that faith schools are compliant with the Equality Act 2010 when teaching relationships and sex education.

Nick Gibb: All schools must ensure that the teaching of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is inclusive to the needs of all pupils, whatever their developing sexuality or identity. Schools are required to comply with the Equality Act 2010 and any concerns that they are not doing so should be taken up with the school in the first instance. The Department recently conducted an engagement exercise with a wide range of expert stakeholders to support the introduction of compulsory RSE in secondary schools. This has included hosting an equalities roundtable and bilateral meetings with LGBT groups and faith organisations. The engagement process included an extensive call for evidence to seek views on what should be included in these subjects. Using the evidence gathered during this process, the Government will develop the regulations and accompanying statutory guidance for these subjects and both will be subject to public consultation followed by a debate on the regulations in Parliament.

Schools: Finance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the timetable is for opening the next round of bidding for the Strategic Schools Improvement Fund.

Nick Gibb: The Department is currently assessing applications from round 3 of the Strategic School Improvement Fund, which closed on 20 April. It is expected that applicants will be informed of the outcome in July. An announcement will be made later in the year on our future plans.

Apprentices: Taxation

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department's policy is on funding from Apprenticeship Levy digital vouchers that businesses did not spend within the two-year time limit.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending (a) the number of SMEs to which unspent apprenticeship levy digital vouchers can be transferred to by larger firms and (b) the proportion of unspent digital vouchers that can be transferred.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many companies that are headquartered in England were unable to spend all their apprenticeship levy digital vouchers as a result of their apprenticeship programmes being based elsewhere in the UK.

Anne Milton: In England, we do not use digital vouchers. Employers that pay the apprenticeship levy use funds in their apprenticeship service accounts to pay for training and assessment and to transfer to other employers. The amount of funds they receive does not depend on where in the UK their headquarters or apprenticeship programmes are based but reflects the amount of levy they have declared and the percentage of their workforce based in England. The government then tops this up by 10%. Employers can spend these funds on English apprenticeships as long as the apprentice is based in England for at least 50% of their work. For apprentices based elsewhere in the UK, employers should contact the relevant funding bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, who each operate their own apprenticeship programmes. Employers with apprenticeship service accounts will see funds expire 24 months after they appear in accounts unless they are used on apprenticeship training. 24 months was set to encourage employers to plan and spend in good time whilst also giving them time to adapt and develop their apprenticeship programmes following the reforms introduced in May 2017. Levy-paying employers can now transfer up to 10% of their apprenticeship service funds to other employers. We are carefully monitoring the implementation of transfers, including how the 10% limit is working. We do not anticipate that all levy-paying employers will spend all the funds in their apprenticeship service accounts. Unspent funds will be used to support levy-paying employers who spend more than the funds available in their accounts and to fund training for non-levy payers.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2018 to Question 142874 on Disabled Students' Allowances, whether he has assessed the potential merits of providing additional student loans to fund the £200 contribution made by students in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowances for the purchase of computer hardware.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Disabled Student Allowances provide for the additional costs that a student is obliged to incur because of their disability to access their higher education course, but not costs that all students are obliged to incur, such as access to a computer. Maintenance loans are available as a contribution towards a student’s living costs at university, and we believe it is reasonable for any student to fund the purchase of a standard computer for email and word processing purposes from their maintenance support. We do not consider it is necessary to provide an additional £200 in the form of a loan, given that this is a cost that all students are expected to fund. Any disabled student who is recommended a higher-powered computer to run assistive software is funded for any costs in excess of £200. Students are not expected to fund any assistive software or the training to use it.

T-levels

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons his Department plans to introduce a single provider model for each T-level; and what contingency measures his Department is putting in place in the event of the failure of a T-level awarding organisation.

Anne Milton: We want to implement all the recommendations from the ‘Sainsbury Report’. One of the recommendations was for the introduction of a licensing approach where the technical qualification would be offered, and awarded, by a single body or consortium. There are benefits that single licensing will deliver, including a clear choice for learners, employers and parents, and making sure there is one high quality qualification in each technical occupation. We will put in place rigorous monitoring of progress by the Institute for Apprenticeships. We will also make sure that there are effective exit arrangements at the end of each licence to enable licences to transfer smoothly from one awarding organisation to another. The department will be engaging with awarding organisations on our procurement plans in the coming months.

T-levels

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Competition and Markets Authority has provided an analysis of the single provider proposals for T-levels; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: On 20 December 2016 the Competition and Markets Authority wrote to the department outlining its views on the Technical and Further Education Bill, in which it highlighted the opportunities and risks, from a competition point of view, of a single licensing approach for technical qualifications. The letter made recommendations that it wished the department to take into account when developing its policy, which we have done. We have also carefully considered the process of commissioning organisations to deliver each new T level qualification. The CMA’s letter is published at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-and-further-education-bill-cma-recommendations. In its consultation on the implementation of T level programmes, the department confirmed that it would use the commissioning process and contract terms to achieve genuine competition for the market, both at the initial procurement and in subsequent rounds.

Social Mobility Commission: Public Appointments

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2018 to Question 137063, what data was collected on the educational backgrounds of applicants to be Chair of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission.

Nadhim Zahawi: In line with other public appointments, applicants to be Chair of the Social Mobility Commission were not asked about their educational background. However, all applicants were asked to complete a diversity monitoring form. This is a standard form used for public appointments across government. The form asked the applicant to declare the following information:GenderDisability statusEthnicityAge bandSexual orientationReligion or beliefPrincipal place of residenceMain employment and occupational sectorApplicants’ declarations were anonymised upon receipt and not considered as part of their application.

Children in Care

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children are being looked after as a result of their parents or guardians being deemed homeless.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally.

Children in Care

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on how many occasions children subject to special guardianship orders and adoption orders have been placed into local authority care under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 in each of the last five years.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) adoptions and (b) special guardian placements have broken down in the each of the last five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department does not hold information on all the occasions when special guardianship placements or adoptions have broken down. A research report, ‘Beyond the adoption order’, was published in 2014 and gave a one-off insight into adoption breakdown. This report can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beyond-the-adoption-order-challenges-intervention-disruption. National statistics on numbers of children in England starting to be looked after who had a previous permanence arrangement, whether a special guardianship order or adoption order, are available at the bottom of Table C1 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017. These figures were collected for the first time in 2014 and should be treated with caution as the information is based on self-declaration and for a large number of children the previous permanence arrangement is not known.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Oral Answer of the Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation to the hon. Member for Battersea of 14 May 2018, Official Report, column 15, when he plans to complete the evaluation of the impact of the £200 charge for computer equipment for students in receipt of Disabled Students' Allowances.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The evaluation into Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) is due to conclude in summer 2018. The evaluation examines the effectiveness of DSAs as a whole, including the recent reforms requiring students to contribute £200 to the cost of DSAs-recommended computer equipment. The department will consider the research findings when they are available.

Pre-school Education: Teachers

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 17 of the Early Years Workforce Strategy, published in March 2017, when his Department plans to undertake a consultation on amending the regulations for Early Years Teacher Status.

Nadhim Zahawi: We have carried out a consultation, including engagement with relevant stakeholders such as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, unions and bodies representing the interests of governing bodies of schools, school and college leaders and teachers. We are now considering consultees’ feedback and will make an announcement in due course.

Engineering: Vocational Guidance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2018 to Question 132470 on Engineering: Vocational Guidance, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the programme to raise the profile of engineering during the Year of Engineering will result in a long-term increase in the awareness of engineering careers in schools.

Anne Milton: The Year of Engineering 2018 aims to raise the profile of engineering among 7 to 16-year olds by working with partners from different sectors to give young people direct and inspiring experiences of engineering. This includes outreach work in schools, behind the scenes tours and activities for young people and their families. The campaign aims to showcase the variety, creativity and social value of modern engineering and the difference it can make to peoples’ lives, appealing to the career aspirations of young people. It also aims to challenge negative or traditional perceptions of the profession and obstacles to considering it as a career choice by putting engineering role models in the spotlight, showing that background, gender and education do not need to be barriers to becoming an engineer. The government’s careers strategy aims to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers advice in schools, making sure that STEM encounters with employers and apprenticeships, for example, are built into school career programmes. To make sure that young people are able to develop the skills needed for a career in engineering we are investing in programmes to increase the take-up of mathematics, by incentivising schools using the recently launched advanced mathematics premium, and providing support to schools to improve progression to physics A level through the Stimulating Physics Network. We are also supporting better teaching of mathematics, physics and computing in schools, including a new £84 million programme to improve computing teaching.

Adult Education: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2018 to Question 133046 on adult education: finance, whether those organisations eligible for support have different national funding arrangements from other specialist designated institutions.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2018 to Question 133046 on adult education: finance, what assessment the Government has made of the funding requirements of the specialist providers affected by the devolution of the adult education budget.

Anne Milton: From 2019/20 Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA) will be responsible for commissioning and funding Adult Education Budget (AEB) provision for learners resident in those areas, and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will be responsible for funding provision for learners resident in non-devolved areas. The exception to this are providers, which meet the following criteria, which will be funded nationally by the ESFA for a transitional period of two years (academic years 2019/20 and 2020/21) following devolution of the AEB: Qualify for a residential uplift for their learning provision, andReceive more than two thirds of their income from the AEB, andPredominantly target their provision at the most disadvantaged in society. The specialist providers which meet these criteria have different funding arrangements from other specialist designated institutions because they qualify for a residential uplift for their formula funded learning provision, as they have residential facilities. They also receive non-formula funded community learning funding, which does not include a residential uplift. We considered an additional period of two years of national funding would be in the learners’ best interests, in order to avoid destabilising provision to vulnerable learners and to allow time for MCAs to better understand the specialist nature of the provision they deliver. The devolution deal readiness conditions include requirements on the MCAs/GLA to ensure that:devolved funding decisions take account of the need to maintain a sustainable and financially viable 16+ provider base, andfunding and provider management arrangements, including securing financial assurance, are agreed in a way that minimises costs and maximises consistency and transparency. Following devolution the ESFA will continue to monitor the financial health of providers.

Engineering: Vocational Guidance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2018 to Question 1324703 on Engineering: Vocational Guidance, whether his Department plans to allocate additional funding to schools for the provision of career strategies.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2018 to Question 132470 on Engineering: Vocational Guidance, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Insight into Industry initiative for teachers; and whether he plans to expand the scheme.

Anne Milton: The government’s careers strategy, published in December 2017, announced funding for a range of careers activities to help secondary schools make sure young people get the information, advice and guidance they need. The strategy announced £4 million for at least 500 schools and colleges to train their own careers leaders. We will also provide £5 million to pilot 20 career hubs linking together schools, colleges and other local organisations to achieve the Gatsby benchmarks of good careers provision. This year, there will also be a new £5 million investment fund to help disadvantaged pupils to get the additional support they need to prepare for work, including opportunities for mentoring and guidance. More information can be found in The Careers & Enterprise Company’s implementation plan: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/sites/default/files/uploaded/careers-enterprise-careers-strategy-implementation-plan.pdf.The Insight into Industry initiative is, and has always, been privately funded. While it does valuable work, the government is not considering funding the initiative.

Ministry of Justice

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous convictions for social security benefit fraud was for an individual convicted of a further social security benefit fraud in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most such recent offence in each such case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous convictions for breaching an antisocial behaviour order was for an individual convicted of a further breach of an antisocial behaviour order in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most such recent offence in each such case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous convictions for taking, permitting to be taken, distributing or publishing indecent photographs of children was for an individual convicted of a further taking, permitting to be taken, distributing or publishing indecent photographs of children offence in each of the last 3 years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most such recent offence in each such case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous convictions for fraud was for an individual convicted of a further fraud offence in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most such recent offence in each such case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous convictions for failing to surrender was for an individual convicted of a further failing to surrender offence in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most such recent offence in each such case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous convictions for common assault was for an individual convicted of a further common assault offence in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most such recent offence in each such case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous convictions for actual bodily harm was for an individual convicted of a further actual bodily harm offence in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most such recent offence in each such case.

Rory Stewart: The highest number of previous convictions for a person convicted of a further offence in 2014-2016 who was not given a sentence of immediate custody, and what the sentence was for the most such recent offence in each such case, broken down by offence, can be viewed in the table.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.39 KB)

Prison and Probation Service: Equality

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the HM Prison and Probation Service is taking to respond to the findings in the 2016-17 National Offender Management Service Annual Staff Equalities Report to tackle inequalities for (a) BAME staff and (b) staff with disabilities relating its performance management system.

Rory Stewart: HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) continue to work closely with Civil Service Employee Policy who provide specialist HR services and support to the Civil Service to help deliver effective and efficient HR solutions. At the forefront of HMPPS HR policy development is adherence to the Equality Act 2010 and ongoing equalities monitoring and review of our HR policies and practises. Regular communications, line manager training and guidance are provided to support the application of our performance management process. Toolkits have also been developed and issued which help to eliminate areas which may lead to disproportionate outcomes for staff.

Truancy: Fixed Penalties

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time taken to schedule a court date in cases of unpaid penalty notices for non-attendance at school in each year since 2015 is.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not held centrally.

Courts: Closures

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of incidents of victims and suspects travelling on the same bus or train to court in areas where the local court has closed; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The possibility of parties to a case travelling to court by the same form of public transport is one that exists prior to a court closure.If a party to a case believes that they will travel to court on the same bus or train as another party and is concerned for their safety, the court may consider applications to be represented at court by other means.

Voyeurism

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to make the practice of up-skirting a sexual offence; and what recent discussions and with whom he has had on that matter.

Lucy Frazer: I am determined to ensure that the intrusive practice of up-skirting is tackled robustly: there should be no doubt that such acts are unacceptable and illegal. I am encouraged to see that this disturbing behaviour has been successfully prosecuted on a number of occasions under the offence of outraging public decency. My officials are reviewing the various laws in this area to see if anything further can be done to tackle this intrusive and unpleasant practice. As part of this work they are considering the Private Member’s Bill put forward by Wera Hobhouse MP. Officials at the Ministry of Justice have met with campaigners and their representatives to discuss their concerns first hand. We hope to have completed this work soon. Alongside this, I continue to support wider work across government to raise awareness with police and prosecutors of the existing offences available to prosecute upskirting and to ensure that appropriate reference is made to these offences in guidance for investigators and prosecutors.

Ministry of Defence: Allowances

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost to the public purse has been of expenses for his Department's staff by grade in each year since 2010.

Dr Phillip Lee: We are unable to provide the data requested, as the expenses records that we have are not able to be broken down by the level of grade of staff.

Remand in Custody

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time spent on remand pending trial was for people facing summary offences in the last twelve months for which data is available.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time spent on remand pending trial by people facing triable either way offences was in the last twelve months for which data is available.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time spent on remand pending trial by people facing indictable-only offences was in the last twelve months for which data is available.

Rory Stewart: At all prison establishments in England and Wales in 2017, the average time spent on pre-trial remand by offence type for people subsequently convicted is shown in the table.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 9.89 KB)

Prison Officers: Redundancy Pay

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost was to the public purse of severance packages paid to prison officers who took voluntary early departure in 2011 and were subsequently re-recruited.

Rory Stewart: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Expenditure

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been spent on incarcerating the perpetrators of (a) acid attacks, (b) knife attacks and (c) violent crimes; in each year since 2010.

Rory Stewart: Her Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS), formerly known as the National Offender Management Service, does not calculate separately the costs of incarcerating perpetrators of acid attacks, knife attacks and violent crimes. The information recorded on the HMPPS central accounting system does not allow the identification of such costs. An average cost per prisoner, costs per prison place and overall prison unit costs for each private and public sector prison in England and Wales are routinely published by HMPPS. This information is produced on an annual basis and is published after the end of each financial year. Information on prison expenditure can be accessed in the Prison and Probation Performance Statistics pages for each financial year on the www.gov.uk website. Prison unit costs can be found within the Excel document Costs per prison place and cost per prisoner by individual prison establishment in the ‘Cost by Establishment’ tab. The most recent published figures for financial year 2016-17 can be accessed on the www.gov.uk website from the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistic s/prison-performance-statistics-2016-to-2017

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 8402, what assessment he has made the reasons for the increase in the average waiting times for a personal independence payment appeal to be heard between 2013-14 and 2016-17.

Lucy Frazer: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) was introduced in 2013 by the Department for Work and Pensions, and extended incrementally over subsequent years. In 2013-14 1,107 appeals were received by Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service – 104,205 were received in 2016-17. As would be expected, the average age of cleared PIP appeals has increased over this period and performance during 2013-14 cannot be regarded as typical.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of turnover of the membership of personal independence payment appeal tribunals.

Lucy Frazer: HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) monitors the number of panel members required for Social Security and Child Support appeals. As a result, in 2017/18 and 2018/19 the Judicial Appointments Commission has been recruiting extra judicial office holders to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal, where Personal Independent Payment appeals are heard, resulting in the following appointments: -250 fee paid judges (across the First-tier Tribunal)16 salaried judges125 disability qualified members226 medical members Panel members who sit on Social Security and Child Support appeal panels hear appeals on a range of benefits, one of which is Personal Independence Payment. Information is not held centrally on levels of turnover specific to that benefit.

Treasury

Financial Services

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) short-term and (b) long-term risks to  financial services in each region of the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

John Glen: The government is seeking a bold and ambitious free trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union. This should be of greater scope and ambition than any such agreement before it so that it covers sectors crucial to our linked economies such as financial services. In support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations, the government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis. The government has confirmed that when we bring forward the vote on the final deal, we will ensure that Parliament is presented with the appropriate analysis to make an informed decision.

Financial Services

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many UK financial services firms have attained a presence in Europe since the EU referendum.

John Glen: Many financial services firms have existing subsidiaries in the UK and are currently able to access the EU Single Market via passporting. If the UK leaves the European Union without a negotiated deal then these firms may be unable to access their European clients. To mitigate this risk and ensure service provision, some firms may need to establish or scale up subsidiaries in the EU27. However, the Chancellor outlined the government’s position on financial services and EU exit in his speech on 7 March. The government is aiming for financial services to be included as part of a wide-ranging future economic partnership with the EU, that enables the delivery of cross-border financial services in both directions – this is the best way to maintain the benefits that the UK’s financial services hub provides to the UK and to the EU27.The UK and EU negotiating teams reached a hugely important milestone at March European Council by agreeing the terms of a time-limited implementation period. During this implementation period, access to one another’s markets will remain unchanged and on the current terms. This will allow citizens and businesses in the UK and across the EU to plan with confidence for life after withdrawal from the EU. The European Central Bank (ECB) maintains a list of financial services institutions operating in the EU at the following address: http://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/financial_corporations/list_of_financial_institutions/html/index.en.html

Stamp Duty Land Tax

James Cartlidge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of Stamp Duty Land Tax repayments claimed were repaid within the 15 days target in the last financial year; and what the total sum outstanding beyond 15 days at the end of the previous fiscal year was.

Mel Stride: In the 2017-18 financial year HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) received 46,781 SDLT repayment claims, of which 4,668 were dealt with within 15 working days. At 2017-18 year end there were 2,550 SDLT repayment claims on hand that were outside 15 working days. A recovery plan has been implemented and the age profile and on hand volumes are now greatly reduced. Approximately 80% of Higher Rate Additional Dwellings repayments claims are now being dealt with within 15 working days, and HMRC expect the position to continue to improve.

Sanitary Protection: VAT

Danielle Rowley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions his Department has had with the European Commission on the application of a zero rate of VAT to sanitary products.

Mel Stride: The Government has continued to press at EU level for the flexibility to apply a zero rate of VAT to women’s sanitary products so that this can be introduced in the UK at the earliest opportunity. The European Commission has now brought forward a legislative proposal, which is under discussion in the EU and, if it is agreed by Member States, would give the UK that flexibility.

Rents: Databases

Paul Girvan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a rent recognition database to be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

John Glen: The Government believes that it is right that a history of paying rent should be recorded and recognised in tenants’ credit scores and in affordability assessments. At Autumn Budget 2017, the Government announced the Rent Recognition Challenge, a £2m competition challenging the UK’s world-leading FinTech firms to develop innovative solutions to enable rental tenants to share their rental payment data with lenders and Credit Reference Agencies (CRAs). CRAs maintain a database on consumers’ credit history, and this information is used to help lenders make an assessment of how likely the individual is to repay any credit that is offered. The 6 successful applicants selected to receive an initial round of grant funding were announced in March.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what implications there are for his policy of the report Care workers, challenges of the tax and benefits system, published on 2 May 2018 by the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group; and whether his Department has made an assessment of potential risks of care workers being paid less than the minimum wage.

Elizabeth Truss: The government keeps all tax and welfare policies under review. We continue to monitor closely the social care workforce and the experience of care workers, and have committed to publishing a joint health and workforce strategy that will define ways to further support our much-valued care workforce. We remain fully committed to strong enforcement of National Minimum and Living Wage (NMW) rates for all workers, including those in the social care sector, in accordance with the law.

Windrush Generation: Compensation

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate has been of made the cost to the public purse of the (a) total and (b) additional staffing costs of the Windrush compensation programme.

Elizabeth Truss: As the Home Secretary has set out, the Government is committed to putting right the wrongs experienced by the Windrush generation, and is clear that where people have suffered loss they will be compensated. The Home Office is still working through the detail of what this scheme will look like, including potential costs to the department.

Corporation Tax

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate his Department has made of the effect on the public purse of the Government’s plans to lower corporation tax to 17 per cent from 2020.

Mel Stride: Since 2010 the Government has reduced the rate of Corporation Tax from 28 per cent to 19 per cent today, and has legislated a further reduction to 17 per cent from 1 April 2020. The Exchequer costs of each rate reduction are certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility. They were published in Table 2.1 of the Budget or Autumn Statement document at announcement, and Table 2.2 of subsequent Budget documents until implementation.

Royal Bank of Scotland: Small Businesses

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 15 May 2018 to Question 142837 on Royal Bank of Scotland: Small Businesses, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the compensation scheme for SME customers of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

John Glen: RBS’ recent commitments to establish an independent appeal process for consequential loss claims and to stand aside from any money that might be returned to them from redress paid to insolvent companies are important steps in improving the operation and transparency of the redress scheme for businesses affected by RBS' Global Restructuring Group. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has previously confirmed that RBS’ processes as part of the compensation scheme are appropriate steps for the bank to take, and the Treasury is in regular contact with the FCA about how the voluntary scheme is progressing.

Children: Day Care

Conor McGinn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many parents using the tax free childcare online application system have submitted compensation claims after not receiving a top-up from HMRC; what the average amount of those claims is; what the average response time for such claims has been; and how much compensation has been paid (a) to each such claimant and (b) in total.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 12 March 2018 (PQ 131774). HMRC currently processes the vast majority of payments in lieu of government top-up within 5 working days.

Cost of Living: Families

Victoria Prentis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to support families with the cost of living.

Elizabeth Truss: The government is committed to helping families both earn more and keep more of what they earn. On 1st April 2018, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 4.4% to £7.83. This represents an annual pay rise of over £2,000 for a full-time worker since the NLW was introduced in April 2016. The Personal Allowance and Higher Rate Threshold also increased in line with CPI, to £11,850 and £46,350 respectively. These changes to income tax will help 31 million people and mean a typical basic rate taxpayer will pay £1,075 less income tax in 2018-19 then in 2010-11.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Local Government Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2018 to Question 136658 on Local Government Finance, answered 27 April 2018, whether his Department has plans to produce impact assessments based on the different EU exit scenarios.

Jake Berry: My Department continues to work on plans to ensure a smooth and orderly Brexit. We engage stakeholders from relevant sectors, including local government and communities, on a regular basis as part of the Department’s usual business and to understand the opportunities and implications of Brexit.

Housing Ombudsman Service: Judicial Review

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many Housing Ombudsman decisions were sent for judicial review between March 2016 and March 2017.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: There were no claims for judicial review issued against the Housing Ombudsman in the period of March 2016 to March 2017. This information is published in the Housing Ombudsman’s Annual report and accounts 2016-17 available on-line at:http://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/media/34738/housing-ombudsman-annual-report-2016-17.pdf

EU Grants and Loans: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from representatives of the Welsh Government on the development of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations he has made to the Welsh Government on the development of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the correspondence between his Department and the Welsh Government on the creation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Jake Berry: The Government continues to work on the design and priorities of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). We will want to discuss with the devolved administrations how the Fund might work in their nations, recognising their expertise in delivering the structural funds.The Government will consult publically on the design and priorities of the UKSPF later this year, as announced in the Industrial Strategy white paper, to make sure it meets the needs of all parts of the UK.

EU Grants and Loans

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with representatives of local authorities in England on the development of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Jake Berry: The Government continues to develop the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and we have committed to consult on the fund this year to give all parts of the UK a chance to influence the fund.

EU Grants and Loans

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proposed value of the future UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Jake Berry: The fund total will be announced in due course.

Housing Associations: Greater London

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many properties have disposed of by housing associations in each local authority in London since 2010.

Dominic Raab: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 143628 answered on 17 May 2018.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households that lived in (a) Grenfell Tower and (b) Grenfell Walk have accepted offers of (i) temporary and (ii) permanent accommodation since the Grenfell Tower fire.

Dominic Raab: The latest figures from Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, as of 21 May, show that of the 210 households from Grenfell Tower and Walk that need to be rehoused, 203 (over 97 per cent of households) have accepted offers of temporary or permanent accommodation.Of these, 33 households have accepted an offer of temporary accommodation, and 170 households have accepted an offer of permanent accommodation.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households that lived in (a) Grenfell Tower and (b) Grenfell Walk have moved out of (i) temporary and (ii) permanent accommodation into permanent accommodation since the Grenfell Tower fire.

Dominic Raab: The latest figures from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, as of 21 May, show that of the 210 households from Grenfell Tower and Walk that need to be rehoused, 76 households have moved out of temporary or emergency accommodation into permanent accommodation.

Building Regulations: Fire Prevention

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many of the 41 local authorities that have contacted his Department regarding fire safety in buildings since the Grenfell Tower fire have been provided financial support by his Department.

Dominic Raab: The Government will fully fund the removal and replacement of dangerous cladding on buildings owned by councils and housing associations, with costs estimated at £400 million.We have not previously provided funding for any local authority needing to undertake fire safety works. Last year, we offered financial flexibilities to local authorities to support them to manage this work. Of the 41 local authorities that have been in touch about this, 14 identified the need to undertake essential fire safety works and were asked to provide more detailed information. We have been in detailed discussions with those who returned this information about what they require.We have listened to what social sector landlords have been telling us about the cost of Aluminium Composite Material cladding systems and the decisions that they are making about how to fund it. For that reason the Government is now providing funding so that local authorities can housing associations can focus their efforts on getting the right solution for their buildings and not on other improvements to housing quality or supply.

Help to Buy Scheme: Loans

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to sell the Help to Buy loan book to outside financial organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Help to Buy Scheme

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to sell the Help to Buy loan book; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Leasehold: Ground Rent

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to legislate to prevent unreasonable increases in ground rents on existing leasehold properties.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government believes leaseholders as consumers should only pay for the services they receive, and we are reforming the leasehold market to make it fairer for leaseholders.A number of developers have introduced schemes to compensate individuals with onerous leases, but they must go further and faster. We want to see support extended to all customers with onerous ground rents, including second hand buyers, and for developers to proactively contact those affected.The former Housing Secretary wrote to developers on 21 December 2017 to set out this expectation. My Department is keeping a close eye on progress and will consider measures that could be pursued to take action if necessary.

Social Rented Housing: Correspondence

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will issue guidance to providers of social housing on how they should deal with and respond to enquiries from hon. Members.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: As public authorities, local authority providers of social housing are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and we would expect them to respond promptly to all enquiries from Hon. Members.Housing associations are private sector bodies. They are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000. It would be inappropriate to single this sector out for instructions on how to respond to enquiries from Hon. Members. However as responsible companies with a social purpose we would expect them to deal promptly to such enquiries.The Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard within the regulatory framework, requires registered providers to offer a range of ways for tenants to express a complaint and set out clear service standards for responding to complaints, and details of what to do if they are unhappy with the outcome of a complaint. This includes a requirement to deal appropriately with complaints made by advocates - such as Hon. Members acting on behalf of their constituents. Once a tenant has exhausted a registered provider's complaint procedure, the Localism Act 2011 provides for them to escalate the complaint to the housing ombudsman by a designated person. The definition of a designated person includes Hon. Members

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Paternity Leave

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many male staff of his Department have taken shared parental leave; and what the average length of that leave was.

Jake Berry: Fourteen male members of staff have taken shared parental leave since the law was introduced in April 2015 at an average length of 108 days, or approximately four months.Shared parental leave gives parents a real opportunity to enjoy the early months of childhood. It is a legal right and enables parents to swap some of their maternity or adoption leave and to take the rest more flexibly and as a couple. The Civil Service goes beyond the statutory minimum provision and offers an occupational rate of pay for some of this leave.

Housing: Public Expenditure

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much money from the public purse was spent on housing in (a) Coventry South constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) the UK in each year since 1998.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fire Prevention

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many requests for financial assistance to undertake fire safety work from local councils and housing associations has his Department refused since the Grenfell Tower fire; and of each such request what the sum of money applied for was.

Dominic Raab: The Government has not declined any requests for financial flexibilities to assist local authorities in competing essential fire safety work.We have listened to what social sector landlords have been telling us about the cost of Aluminium Composite Material cladding systems and the decisions that they are making about how to fund it. The Prime Minister announced on 16 May that the Government will fully fund the removal and replacement of dangerous cladding on building owned by councils and housing associations, with costs estimated at £400 million. We will also continue to offer financial flexibilities for local authorities who need to undertake other essential fire safety work. We want to allocate this funding as soon as possible and we will announce more details shortly, including how we will encourage landlords to continue to pursue other parties for costs where they are responsible or at fault.

Local Government : Fire Prevention

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the names of (a) the 41 local authorities that have contacted his Department regarding fire safety works and (b) the 14 local authorities which his Department have classed as carrying out essential fire safety works.

Dominic Raab: It is a matter for local authorities to communicate with their residents what work is being proposed.The Government will fully fund the removal and replacement of dangerous cladding on building owned by councils and housing associations, with costs estimated at £400 million. We will also continue to offer financial flexibilities for local authorities who need to undertake other essential fire safety work. We want to allocate this funding as soon as possible and we will announce more details shortly, including how we will encourage landlords to continue to pursue other parties for costs where they are responsible or at fault.

Local Plans

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the role and remit of local plan inspectors.

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, under what circumstances a local plan inspector is able to recommend the alteration of a local plan; and what the remit for a local authority, group or individual to appeal an inspector’s recommendation which will increase housing is.

Dominic Raab: I refer my Rt Hon Friend to the answers given to Questions UIN 143714 and UIN 143713 on 17 May 2018.The role and remit of Planning Inspectors is set out in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. Planning Inspectors act on behalf of the Secretary of State to assess the soundness of a Local Plan in line with national planning policy, following a transparent and rigorous public examination process. The Inspector is responsible for making recommendations to the local planning authority on whether or not the plan is sound. However, the Inspector can only make such recommendations if formally requested to do so by the local planning authority.During the examination, the Inspector can recommend ‘main modifications’ (changes that materially affect the policies) to make the plan sound and legally compliant but only if asked to do so by the local planning authority. The council can also put forward ’additional modifications’ of its own to deal with more minor matters. The local authority will be required to consult on “main modifications” and the Inspector’s Report will be issued following the consideration of any representations by the Inspector.The decision whether to adopt a Local Plan is made by the local planning authority. They may choose to withdraw a Local Plan after considering the Inspector’s report. While there is no formal mechanism to appeal against the recommendations in an Inspector’s report, the adopted Local Plan could be challenged in the High Court on a point of law.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost of replacing all cladding materials on high rise buildings with (a) cladding materials which are not of limited combustibility and (b) materials that are of limited combustibility.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Building Regulations

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, where liability lies for costs incurred as a result of changes to building regulations and applied retrospectively.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on testing cladding systems other than ACM cladding on high rise buildings.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the safety of ZCM cladding systems on high rise buildings.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Buildings: Fire Prevention

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what powers he has to compel the owners of non-publicly owned buildings to have the cladding systems on those properties tested.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) pays over and above the National Living Wage that was increased to £7.83 per hour in April 2018.The MOD has not formally signed up to the Living Wage Rates, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. In 2015 the then Secretary of State for Defence agreed that all London-based staff should be paid at least the equivalent of the Living Wage Foundation's London Living Wage rate. MOD continues to pay above that rate.Contracted workers' rates of pay, where paid by their parent company or recruitment agency, are not visible to the MOD.The MOD does not employ individuals on zero-hours contracts.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the maximum number of trainees is that can be accommodated in an Airbus (a) H135 and (b) H145 helicopter.

Guto Bebb: The maximum number of trainees in an H135 is two. This includes one trainee pilot and one trainee crewman.The maximum number of trainees in an H145 is three. This includes one trainee pilot and two trainee crewmen.

Military Aircraft: Training

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many training flights his Department has purchased from Ascent Flight Training.

Guto Bebb: Ascent Flight Training is currently contracted to provide the Ministry of Defence with around 62,000 flying hours a year. The specific number of training flights that flying hours equate to is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Cybercrime

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 10 paragraph 1.10 of the National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021, what assessment he has made of the Armed Forces' ability to assist in the event of a significant national cyber-attack.

Mark Lancaster: The Armed Forces support the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on a daily basis in protecting the UK from malicious actors in cyberspace. The Regular and Reserves elements of the Ministry of Defence Cyber units operate routinely alongside the NCSC and other Government Departments, including joint exercises. We keep the requirement for military support to the NCSC, including in the event of a significant national cyber-attack, under continued review.

Poland: Cybercrime

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 5.28 on page 51 of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, what steps his Department has taken with Poland on cyber security.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 5.38 on page 52 of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, what steps his Department has taken with Germany on cyber security.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 5.42 on page 53 of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, what steps his Department has taken with the European Union on cyber security.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 5.73 on page 58 of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, what steps his Department has been taken with the Republic of Korea on cyber security.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 5.74 on page 58 of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, what steps his Department has taken with China on cyber security.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 5.76 on page 58  of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, what steps his Department has taken with India on cyber security.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 59 paragraph 5.83 of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, what work has been undertaken with Latin American states on cyber security.

Mark Lancaster: As set out in the National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS) we are committed to pursuing international action, encouraging and deepening global partnerships.We work with other nations and multinational institutions so that we are able to respond to, and operate effectively in, a wide range of scenarios. In many cases, the Ministry of Defence supports other Government Departments on international initiatives, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the National Cyber Security Centre.Tackling malicious cyber incidents requires international cooperation, which is why we are committed to working with our partners, bilaterally and multi-nationally, to enhance cyber resiliency for all.

Joint Cyber Reserve: Staff

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of (a) armed forces and (b) his Department's personnel work for the Joint Cyber Unit in (i) Corsham and (ii) Cheltenham.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave him to Questions 143807 and 143808 on 17 May 2018.



143807 - Cyber Security: Armed Forces
(Word Document, 22.13 KB)




143808 - Armed Forces: Cybercrime
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Navy: Weapons

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the out-of-service dates are for each of the Royal Navy's active weapons systems.

Guto Bebb: I am withholding details of Royal Navy weapon systems out of service dates as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Tomahawk Missiles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has plans to replenish Royal Navy stocks of Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence will maintain sufficient stockpiles of Tomahawk Land Attack Munitions to meet operational requirements.

Military Aircraft: Training

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual in-year costs for operating the UK Military Flying Training System have been in each of the last seven years.

Guto Bebb: Since 2011, the Ministry of Defence has spent, on average, £20 million per year with Ascent to provide flying training. This does not include additional costs, for example those associated with fuel, the operation of stations, or military personnel costs, which could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Sentinel Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF Sentinel R1 aircraft were serviceable on the first day of each month of 2017.

Guto Bebb: The number of RAF Sentinel R1 aircraft in the Forward and Sustainment Fleets at the beginning of each month for 2017 is given in the table below:   SentinelMonth 2017Forward FleetSustainment FleetJanuary41February41March32April32May41June32July23August23September23October23November14December32  The Forward Fleet comprises serviceable and short term unserviceable aircraft. Typically, the short term unserviceable aircraft are undergoing minor works, forward maintenance or any other unforeseen rectification or technical inspection that can arise on a day-to-day basis. The sustainment fleet includes aircraft undergoing deep maintenance, upgrade programmes or being held in storage. The number of aircraft available varies day-to-day, according to normal fleet management activities. The above figures include Sentinel ZJ693 which was placed in long term storage on 1 April 2017

Military Aircraft: Manufacturing Industries

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the UK maintains the ability to build combat aircraft and that such capability is not outsourced to foreign powers.

Guto Bebb: The UK Government recognises the significant contribution that Combat Air makes to UK security, prosperity and international influence and as announced on 22 February 2018 (HCWS479) are developing a Combat Air strategy to address how we will deliver future capability.Defence officials are working closely with other Government Departments, international partners, UK industry and academia to inform this work and will publish the initial findings of the strategy this summer.



Combat Air Strategy
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Military Aircraft: Exports

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has made an assessment of the export potential of operational RAF-manned ISTAR aircraft manufactured in part or entirely in the UK.

Guto Bebb: The RAF's current manned ISTAR aircraft, while not wholly manufactured in the UK, do include a number of world-leading UK capabilities. Her Majesty's Government is fully supportive of responsible defence exports including ISTAR capabilities more broadly in order to support UK based industry and maintain national capability.

Falkland Islands: Armed Forces

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to improve internet connectivity for the personal use of serving UK military personnel in the Falkland Islands.

Mark Lancaster: The Department is working with the Falkland Islands Government and their Internet Service Provider, SURE, to improve connectivity and bandwidth in the Falkland Islands. Additionally, a number of steps have been taken to maximise the existing capability and to deliver improvements over the short and medium terms. These include delivering Wi-Fi coverage across the domestic accommodation and improving access to and functionality of video call capability.

Defence in UK Prosperity Review

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to publish the Defence in the UK Prosperity Review by the hon. Member for Ludlow.

Guto Bebb: I am most grateful to the hon. Member for Ludlow (Philip Dunne) for agreeing to lead this important independent Review which I expect to be published before the summer recess.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the firm number of planned solid support ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is which is required by his Department.

Guto Bebb: The Competition Notice for the Fleet Solid Support Ships indicated that contracts would be awarded for two ships with an option for a third.

HMS Ocean

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse of the refit of HMS Ocean was; and what revenue was generated for his Department's budget from the sale of that vessel.

Guto Bebb: HMS Ocean was sold for £84 million, with £55 million of the revenue generated being reinvested in Defence - prior to the sale £29 million was spent on refitting to make her ready for sale.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what role the planned Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fleet solid support ships are planned to play in enabling future UK carrier strike capability.

Guto Bebb: The planned Future Solid Support ships, operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, will be critical to enabling the Maritime Task Group. They will deliver solid sustainment of food, stores and ordnance to the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers and supporting task groups.

Rosyth Dockyard: Materials Handling Equipment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Goliath crane located in Rosyth has been sold.

Guto Bebb: No.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which parts of the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System are planned to be integrated into the planned Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fleet solid support ships.

Guto Bebb: On current plans, the Royal Navy does not intend to fit the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fleet Solid Support ships.

Rosyth Dockyard: Nuclear Submarines

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many decommissioned nuclear ballistic missile submarines are laid up at Rosyth dockyard.

Guto Bebb: There are four decommissioned and defuelled ballistic nuclear submarines laid up safely in afloat storage at Rosyth Dockyard.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will assess the merits of a UK-based consortium block-build bid for planned Royal Fleet Auxiliary solid support ships.

Guto Bebb: The Fleet Solid Support ships are being procured through international competition. It will be for industry to propose its organisational and build strategies when we launch the competition towards the end of 2018.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft: Torpedoes

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of integrating Stingray torpedoes onto the new Boeing P-8As.

Guto Bebb: At the time of introduction into service the P-8A will be fitted for and equipped with Harpoon Air to Surface missiles as well as Mk 54 torpedoes. These weapons are used by all P-8 Poseidon Nations and provide us with a robust route to capability employment, and ensure commonality with our major Allies. Once we have reached the full operating capability of the aircraft and have had time to study the optimal employment model for the UK, the Department will be in a position to make decisions on future weapon configurations, including alternative weapons.

Department for Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people that used self-employed status to avoid paying child maintenance payments in 2017.

Kit Malthouse: The Department has not made an estimate of the volume of declaring self-employment as a means of avoiding child maintenance payments. Income information for paying parents is obtained directly from HMRC. This figure will include earnings from self-employment. Where there is reason to suspect a declared income or that a parent is using self–employment status as a means to avoid or reduce their maintenance liability, the case will be referred to the Financial Investigations Unit. The volume of cases which are subject to a complex earners investigation are published in Table 12 of Child Maintenance Service Statistics available on line at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-aug-2013-to-dec-2017-experimental. Investigations into self-employed paying parents are a subgroup of the complex earners investigations.

Employment and Support Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average duration of mandatory reconsideration is for people who following an initial decision on their employment and support allowance claim (a) do and (b) do not set up a new claim for universal credit while awaiting the outcome of that reconsideration.

Sarah Newton: The specific information requested for the average length of time for a Mandatory Reconsideration to be heard for claimants who were unsuccessful in claiming Employment Support Allowance who subsequently do or do not set up a claim for Universal Credit is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Statistics on the clearance times of Mandatory Reconsiderations broken down by Month can be found in Table 16 of the quarterly bulletin “ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: March 2018” https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-march-2018

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether guidance is provided to departmental staff and contractors on communicating to claimants how they can establish a source of income during the mandatory reconsideration of their benefit claim; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: Guidance is provided to staff to enable them to advise claimants on the options available during the mandatory reconsideration process. This includes signposting claimants to Gov.uk to check eligibility for alternative benefits. DWP also issues decision letters to claimants which include information on the options available to them during the mandatory reconsideration process, dependant on benefit. As DWP has responsibility for the mandatory reconsideration process, contractors will refer claimants to DWP to discuss benefit entitlement and options available.

Universal Credit: PAYE

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the accuracy of the Real Time Information system in calculating the universal credit that is awarded to low-paid workers.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) complaints and (b) inquiries that her Department has received from or on behalf of universal credit claimants in employment have been prompted by inaccurate earnings data from the Real Time Information system.

Alok Sharma: The Real Time Information (RTI) system is working well with over 99% of individual employment records now being reported in real time. This method of sharing information is enabling us to run a welfare system that is responsive to changes in earnings and helps identify cases of fraud. Only a small proportion of the 1% of remaining cases are referred to HMRC to clarify those earnings with the employer. DWP work closely with HMRC to investigate any risks associated with RTI data, and jointly deal with disputes arising when claimants query their reported earnings. DWP and HMRC continually monitor the data and no significant problems have been identified. A number of processes are in place to deal with inaccurate data from employers. DWP and HMRC analysts monitor the RTI data received, looking for trends, patterns and causes. Both Departments then work together with employers and partners, such as software developers and payroll bureaux, to improve the quality of the data. In April 2018 over a million separate RTI notifications were used in Universal Credit Awards. Of those the DWP RTI Dispute Team received under 3000 disputed earnings referrals – a query rate of less than 0.3%. Many of these queries are resolved by an explanation of how Universal Credit works. Since April 2017 the Department has received 89 complaints alleging that RTI information was inaccurate. In that same period there have been around 11 million separate RTI earnings notifications used in Universal Credit Awards.

Social Security Benefits: Great Grimsby

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the causes of the changes in the number of claimants aged between 18 and 24 in Great Grimsby constituency between April 2017 and April 2018.

Alok Sharma: The number of unemployment related benefit claimants aged 18-24 in the Great Grimsby constituency was 670 as of April 2018 – up by 30 since April 2017 but down by 690 since April 2010. The claimant count is currently designated as an experimental statistic by the Office for National Statistics as a result of the roll out of Universal Credit. Universal Credit full service expands the ‘Searching for Work’ conditionality group to cover a wider group of claimants, to encourage these claimants into work or to work more. This policy decision has the effect of bringing additional people into the claimant count compared to the pre-Universal Credit system and the number of people recorded as being on the Claimant Count is therefore likely to rise. DWP have published a consultation on developing a new measure for labour market performance over time. this can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposals-for-a-new-statistical-series-to-count-unemployed-claimants Using estimates from the Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate in the Yorkshire and Humber region is at 4.6% for period January to March 2018 - down 4.9 percentage points since the period February to April 2010. The number of people in employment is 2.59 million, up 211,000 since 2010.This is consistent with the continuing improvements in the wider economy. The UK’s unemployment rate is currently 4.2% and has not been lower since 1975. The employment rate in the UK stands at a record high of 75.6% and there are a near record 806,000 vacancies throughout the economy.

Social Security Benefits: Great Grimsby

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the causes of the changes in the number of claimants aged between 16 and 64 in Great Grimsby constituency between April 2017 and April 2018.

Alok Sharma: The number of unemployment related benefit claimants aged 16 and over in the Great Grimsby constituency was 2,885 as of April 2018 – up by 270 since April 2017 but down by 1,475 since April 2010. The claimant count is currently designated as an experimental statistic by the Office for National Statistics as a result of the roll out of Universal Credit. Universal Credit full service expands the ‘Searching for Work’ conditionality group to cover a wider group of claimants, to encourage these claimants into work or to work more. This policy decision has the effect of bringing additional people into the claimant count compared to the pre-Universal Credit system and the number of people recorded as being on the Claimant Count is therefore likely to rise. DWP have published a consultation on developing a new measure for labour market performance over time. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposals-for-a-new-statistical-series-to-count-unemployed-claimantsUsing estimates from the Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate in the Yorkshire and Humber region is at 4.6% for the period January to March 2018 - down 4.9 percentage points since the period February to April 2010. The number of people in employment is 2.59 million, up 211,000 since 2010. This is consistent with the continuing improvements in the wider economy. The UK’s unemployment rate is currently 4.2% and has not been lower since 1975. The employment rate in the UK stands at a record high of 75.6% and there are a near record 806,000 vacancies throughout the economy.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the value of (a) average backdated benefits and (b) total backdated benefits for PIP claimants who won PIP appeal tribunals in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of waiting times for PIP appeal tribunal dates on (a) the physical health and (b) the mental health of claimants.

Sarah Newton: We are working closely with the Tribunals Service to reduce the length of time that they take to clear an appeal, such as exploring ways to increase their capacity to enable them to hold more hearings. Furthermore we are working with them on their digital reform initiatives, which will also improve waiting times. However, our aim is to make the right decision as early as possible. Since PIP was introduced 3.1 million decisions have been made; of these 9 per cent have been appealed and 4 per cent have been overturned. The main reasons decisions are overturned on appeal are oral evidence given by the claimants at the hearing, and new written evidence which had not previously been seen by our decision makers.

Personal Independence Payment: Cancer

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the financial effect of the three-month waiting period for personal independence payment on people who have received a cancer diagnosis.

Sarah Newton: Other than for those who are terminally ill, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability rather than a diagnosis. The three month qualifying period is one of the tests that determines whether an individual meets that definition. Claims can be submitted during the qualifying period PIP claimants who are terminally ill do not have to satisfy the three month qualifying period, have their claim fast tracked and are eligible for the enhanced rate daily living component from the date of claim. Financial and practical support may be available during the qualifying period, for example Employment and Support Allowance, the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme or support provided by a Local Authority.

Universal Credit: Self-employed

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of self-employed claimants on universal credit full service who have remained self-employed once the Minimum Income Floor is applied at the end of their first 12 months of trading.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Health and Safety Executive: Income

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Health and Safety Executive earned through selling consultancy services in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the financial effect on people in receipt of Support for Mortgage Interest moving on to a Support for Mortgage Interest loan.

Kit Malthouse: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 March 2018 to Question 133903.

Part-time Employment: Young People

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people between 16 and 24 years old were in part-time employment in (a) 2012 and (b) 2017.

Alok Sharma: The latest official data available from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that 1.41 million 16 to 24 year olds were working part-time from January-December 2017. This represented 36.6% of 16-24 year olds in employment, down from 1.45 million young people working part time in January-December 2012 (39.9% of 16-24 year olds in employment).

Flexible Support Fund

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 135706, on Flexible Support Fund, what assessment her Department has made of trends in (a) claimant needs and (b) volumes between 2013-14 and 2016-17.

Alok Sharma: Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that unemployment fell by 1 million (just under 40%) between April 2013 and March 2017. Because of this fall in unemployment we have been able to reduce the size of the Flexible Support Fund (FSF). The Department keeps the FSF and other budgets under continuous review. In January to March 2018 our unemployment rate currently stands at 4.2% - it has not been lower since 1975.

Cold Weather Payments: County Durham

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cold weather payments have been issued in 2018 for people in postcode area SR8; and what the timetable is for recipients to receive their payments.

Kit Malthouse: The Cold Weather Payment scheme is administered at weather station level and the estimated numbers of Cold Weather Payments are produced at a weather station level and cannot be broken down further. The coverage area for each weather station is determined by the Met Office which assesses the most appropriate weather station for each postcode area. Cold Weather Payments are triggered when the average temperature recorded at the weather station has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0oC or below over seven consecutive days, during the Cold Weather season (November – March). The SR8 postcode area is linked to Loftus weather station. There has been one Cold Weather trigger at Loftus weather station since 1st January 2018. This resulted in an estimated 54,000 Cold Weather Payments to eligible recipients living in a postcode area linked to Loftus weather station. These postcode areas are: SR8, TS1-8, TS10-14, TS17-20, TS22-27. After each period of very cold weather that results in a trigger, eligible recipients should receive a Cold Weather Payment within 14 working days. Notes The number of payments given here is an estimate as information on the exact number of payments made is not readily available. These figures are produced by determining the volume of eligible recipients in each weather station area at the start of the winter season and using these figures throughout the winter to estimate payments based on the actual triggers recorded. The number of payments made is not necessarily the total number of individuals benefitting from a Cold Weather Payment. Any individuals making a joint claim for one of the qualifying benefits, such as a couple living together, will receive one payment between them rather than one payment each.

Personal Independence Payment

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have had their personal independence payments changed from weekly to four-weekly payments.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received weekly disability living allowance payments in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Scott Mann: What steps he is taking to ensure that universal credit supports people to increase their earnings and progress in their jobs.

Alok Sharma: In April 2017 we reduced the Universal Credit taper rate to 63% supporting people to earn more and keep more of their earnings. And unlike in the legacy system, there are no cliff edges, so claimants know that for every extra hour they work they will be able to keep more of their earnings.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Deidre Brock: When she last visited a personal independence payment assessment centre.

Sarah Newton: The last time I attended a Personal Independence Payment assessment centre was 12th December 2017. I was struck by the professional and helpful attitude displayed by all the staff at the assessment centre. My Honourable Friend, the member for North West Hampshire (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance, Kit Malthouse MP) visited Vauxhall assessment centre on the 17th April 2018. Like me he found the visit extremely informative.

Food Banks

Ged Killen: What assessment her Department has made of trends in the number of people signposted or referred to food banks in areas where full service universal credit has been rolled out.

Kit Malthouse: We have made no assessment of food bank use. The reasons for food banks use are complex, so it’s wrong to attribute it to any one cause. The best way to help people improve their lives is through employment, and people on Universal Credit move into work faster and stay in work longer.

Children: Maintenance

Nigel Huddleston: What plans the Government has to increase compliance with child maintenance responsibilities.

Kit Malthouse: The Child Maintenance Service has wide ranging powers to enforce the collection of both ongoing child maintenance liability and arrears. We publish regular information about this activity which shows for example, increasing use of the Financial Investigation Unit with over 1000 more complex earner investigations referred this year compared with last. We recently consulted on a new Compliance and Arrears Strategy with the aim of increasing these powers. The Government’s response to this consultation will be published later this summer.

Pension Protection Fund: Carillion

Julie Elliott: What steps she is taking to ensure that support is provided for former Carillion employees whose pensions will not be covered by the Pension Protection Fund.

Guy Opperman: There are 12 Carillion DB schemes in the Pension protection Fund (PPF) assessment period. The PPF are working with scheme administrators to determine whether they can pay pensions at or above PPF benefits. Where a scheme cannot do this, the PPF will assume responsibility and pay compensation. Individuals above their scheme’s normal pension age will receive 100% of their accrued pension, and all other members will receive 90%, subject to an overall cap.

Long Term Unemployed People

Kirstene Hair: What recent assessment she has made of trends in long-term unemployment.

Alok Sharma: The number of long term unemployed (over 12 months) stood at 358,000 in the 3 months to March 2018, down by nearly 30,000 in the past year. It has fallen by 430,000 since 2010, a decrease of 54.5%.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Livestock: Waste Disposal

Dr Caroline Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has commissioned an independent assessment on the need for more animal rendering plants; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Government has no plans to commission an assessment on the need for more animal rendering plants. The UK has around 40 rendering plants which perform an important role in protecting public and animal health. Decisions on the need for additional plants are guided by market demand and local planning policy.

Furs: Import Controls

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending existing fur import bans to cover all species affected by the fur trade.

George Eustice: The Government shares the British public’s high regard for animal welfare and, after we leave the EU, the Government plans to retain the current regulations banning the import of cat and dog fur and products, and seal skins and products from commercial hunts.Any further restrictions on importing fur and fur products after we leave the EU should be based on the protection of animal welfare. The Government is considering the case for further steps.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: ICT

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which EU (a) networks, (b) information systems and (c) databases his Department expects to  (i) lose access to and (ii) pay to be part of and (iii) replicate after the UK has left the EU; and what assessment his Department has made of the cost of (A) paying for access and (B) replicating those systems.

George Eustice: We are seeking a deep and special partnership with the EU consistent with this taking back control of our borders, laws, money and trade. Our relationship with the EU's agencies and systems upon departure will be evaluated on this basis.No decisions have yet been made on our future relationship with the EU's agencies and systems after leaving the EU. We are considering a range of options very carefully.Where there is a demonstrable advantage in pursuing a continued relationship with an agency or other EU body, the Government will carefully examine whether we should pursue this. This will be a matter for negotiations.We are also making preparations to replicate some EU systems where this may be necessary.

Curlews: Conservation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the habitats of curlew birds.

George Eustice: The UK network of 273 classified special protection areas, covering approximately 3.4 million hectares of key habitats, protects many rare, threatened and vulnerable birds including curlews. The Government’s agri-environment schemes have been designed to encourage habitat management to promote curlew conservation in targeted areas, specifically to provide suitable nesting and foraging conditions. Natural England is working with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on a recovery programme aimed at providing a coordinated approach to the management of curlew habitats, including predator control to increase breeding numbers. This forms part of an international action plan to address the ‘near threatened’ status of the curlew, which the UK will support in our role as signatory of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement.

Recycling

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities to roll out recycling bins on streets.

George Eustice: Local authorities are best placed to deliver the recycling services in their area with householders, including the provision of on street recycling bins, and the management of litter. The Government has supported Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to provide tools and resources to support local councils to improve their services, including guidance on collection of waste and recycling, reducing contamination and approaches to material sales. The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our commitment to make it even easier for people to recycle and increase the quantity and quality of materials collected. Further measures to improve recycling will be set out in the Resources and Waste Strategy to be published later this year.

Recycling

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to review the potential merits of alternatives to weight based recycling targets as part of his Department’s future resources and waste strategy; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Stroud, Dr David Drew, on 16 January 2018, PQ UIN 122061.

Home Office

Slavery

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2018 to Question 129973 on Slavery, how many people issued with positive conclusive grounds decisions (a) received a holding letter confirming a determination is on hold, (b) continue to be supported by the adult victim care contract and (c) had support from the adult victim care contract suspended since his Department published its interim guidance.

Victoria Atkins: The Court of Appeal issued a judgment in the case of (PK (Ghana) v SSHD) on 13 February 2018. We are considering the implications of the judgment.As we do so, interim guidance has been issued to caseworkers to put on hold any refusals of discretionary leave to remain (DL) decisions for confirmed victims of modern slavery. Grants of discretionary leave are continuing. This guidance is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/interim-operation-guidance-discretionary-leave-for-victims-of-modern-slaveryIn line with standard practice, support providers under the Victim Care Contract can seek an extension of support for confirmed victims who are awaiting a discretionary leave decision.We are not aware of any individuals in support whose DL decision is on hold where continuing support has not been requested by the support provider.The Home Office does not publish data on how many such determinations are on hold.

Slavery: Victims

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he has taken to assess the effect of the alignment of subsistence rates provided to victims of modern slavery to those received by asylum seekers; and if he will publish an Equality Impact Assessment on that alignment.

Victoria Atkins: The subsistence rates for victims of modern slavery are provided to cover the essential living needs of potential victims of modern slavery. It is essential that we target support to confirmed victims at the point they need it most. The overall amount of money available for victim support will not fall, but by making these changes more money is being made available to treble the period of “move on” support, which will help people leaving victim support with their transition to other arrangements.When considering the level of these rates, the essential needs of potential victims were assessed to be comparable to the needs of asylum seekers. This is why the tested and established methodology that has been developed to measure the level of subsistence for asylum seekers will be adopted to measure the level of subsistence for potential victims of modern slavery. Where it has been identified that victims of slavery have needs above those of asylum seekers or have additional entitlements under the Council of Europe Convention Against Trafficking in Human Beings, these needs will continue to be met within the existing Adult Victims of Modern Slavery Care Contract.Victims will continue to receive dedicated and expert support, which is tailored to their unique needs as victims of modern slavery. This includes access to legal aid, counselling, NHS medical and dental services. This will ensure there is a fair and consistent approach for all individuals receiving similar government support.We are working closely with The Salvation Army and the Independent Anti Slavery Commissioner to ensure that the implementation of this change is as smooth as possible, and the Equalities Impact Assessment will be published when the process for the implementation of the alignment is announced.

Drugs: Crime

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the length of sentences for drug-related crimes.

Victoria Atkins: The Government believe the sentences for drug related offences are proportionate and there are no current plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the length of sentences for drug related crimes.

Home Office: Procurement

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department when procuring services from external suppliers measures the risk of human trafficking taking place during the provision of such services; and what plans his Department has to reduce that risk.

Victoria Atkins: Tackling modern slavery is a priority for the Home Office and it is committed to working with suppliers to address modern slavery in its supply chains. Home Office procurement teams use the Standard Selection Questionnaire introduced in September 2016. This includes Mandatory Exclusion Grounds for any bidders convicted of human trafficking or slavery offences.The Home Office is working with other departments to agree an effective approach to further assessing and managing the risk of human trafficking in supply chains across Government.

Slavery: Legal Aid Scheme

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that potential victims of modern slavery are aware of the free legal assistance that they are entitled to from the Ministry of Justice.

Victoria Atkins: The Government provides publicly-funded immigration legal advice to individuals identified as potential victims of modern slavery. In addition to this, advice is also available for victims of modern slavery who wish to make a claim under employment law or make a claim for damages in relation to their exploitation. These provisions are subject to statutory tests of means and merits.The Home Office recently published a leaflet on immigration options for victims of modern slavery. The leaflet explains that, if you are accepted as a potential victim of modern slavery by the National Referral Mechanism, you are entitled to legal aid to discuss your immigration options. Further details can be found on the gov.uk website:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/642112/help_for_adult_victims_of_modern_slavery.pdf

Organised Crime: Drugs

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training and support his Department is providing to (a) accident and emergency services and (b) major trauma centres in (i) London and (ii) England to identify victims of county lines exploitation; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office is supporting a nationwide awareness raising campaign about county lines and the associated exploitation. The campaign is targeted to those best placed to spot potential victims, including those working in frontline health services. The campaign is supported by guidance we published in July 2017 for frontline professionals on how to identify potential victims of county lines and the appropriate referral routes.Victims of county lines are often subjected to violence and as a result in end up in trauma centres and hospital emergency departments. Redthread operates a youth violence intervention scheme to reach young people at this ‘teachable’ moment in the four major trauma centres in London. In addition the Home Office is providing funding to support the expansion of Redthread’s scheme in hospital emergency departments outside London, starting with the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham in February, and Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham in July.

Crossbows: Sales

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an estimate of the number of crossbows which have been sold in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office has not made an estimate of the number of crossbows sold in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland in the last 10 years.Crossbows are subject to statutory controls by virtue of the Crossbows Act 1987, which makes it an offence to sell, let or hire a crossbow, or part of a crossbow, to a person under the age of 18 years. This applies to those crossbows with a draw weight of 1.4 kilograms or greater. The Act is available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1987/32/contents

Crossbows

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) injuries and (b) deaths have been caused by crossbows in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office Homicide Index holds information on the number of homicide victims killed by use of a crossbow in England and Wales. There were four homicides in England in the last ten years where the weapon has been identified as a crossbow; two in 2010/11, one in 2013/14 and one in 2014/15. Additionally, there was one homicide victim killed in Wales by use of a crossbow in 2014/15. The Home Office does not hold information on the number of injuries caused by crossbows nor does it have separate figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Domestic Violence: Electronic Surveillance

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the merits of prohibiting domestic abusers from using spyware and domestic surveillance to monitor their victim's movements.

Victoria Atkins: This Government is committed to transforming the response to domestic abuse, including technology-enabled abuse. .On 8 March the Government launched the Government’s consultation, seeking views on a range of legislative and non-legislative options to ensure victims are afforded the greatest possible protection. This consultation includes questions on online abuse and technology-enabled abuse, in order to build our understanding of this issue and respond effectively.We have also supported victims who have experienced technology-enabled domestic abuse by providing £250,000 through the Tampon Tax Fund to Refuge to develop and deliver a three-year Technological Empowerment Programme for women to tackle gender-based violence.

Foreign Nationals: Fraud

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of non-EU nationals who are in the UK having entered on a false EU (a) passport or (b) identity document.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not held in a reportable format and we are unable to give an estimate.

Deportation: Migrant Workers

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his officials have raised concerns over potentially wrongful deportation of highly skilled migrants under section 322(5) of the Immigration Act in the last twelve months.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department first became aware that some highly skilled migrants could potentially face wrongful deportation under section 322(5) of the Immigration Act.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his ministerial team were made aware of concerns over wrongful deportation of highly skilled migrants under section 322(5) of the Immigration Act on appointment.

Caroline Nokes: Paragraph 322(5) of the Immigration Rules is a long-standing provision which provides that applications for leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain should normally be refused where it would be undesirable for a person to remain in the UK in light of their conduct, character or associations, or where they represent a threat to national security. Refusal of an application for leave or indefinite leave to remain does not automatically lead to removal or deportation.It is important that the Government retains the ability to refuse an application where we have identified that migrants have given deliberately false information in order to extend their stay or obtain settlement in the UK. It is not the Government’s policy to refuse applications by highly skilled migrants solely due to minor tax errors. Where any discrepancies are identified, applicants are given a right to explain the discrepancy. All such cases are signed off by a manager before refusal grounds are applied.The Tier 1 (General) category was intended for highly skilled workers applying to work in the UK without requiring a sponsoring employer. The route was closed in April 2011, partly due to evidence of abuse by migrants using the route. Applications for indefinite leave to remain remained open until April 2018, for those who were in the category at the time it closed.We have refused Tier 1(General) applications under paragraph 322(5) where an applicant’s character and conduct call into question their desirability of remaining in the UK. In these cases, refusals have been given where there have been substantial differences – often tens of thousands of pounds – between the earnings used to claim points in an immigration application and an applicant’s HMRC records, without a credible explanation from the applicant. We take all available evidence into account before making a decision and each application is considered on its own merits.As I confirmed to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 8 May, we will carry out a review of these cases to see how many showed clear evidence of deceit, and whether any were refused due to minor errors. So far there is insufficient evidence to suggest there is any systemic problem which may lead to wrongful removals for this group, but this is one area our review will check.

Home Office: Compensation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much his Department has paid in compensation for (a) wrongful detentions and (b) wrongful deportations in each year since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: Part (a): For FY 2010/11 and 2011/12, the Home Office does not hold the information in the format requested. Our ledger will not allow us to provide this level of detail for that Financial YearTaking “wrongful” to be equivalent to “unlawful”, compensation for unlawful detention claims for FYs 2012/13 onwards are included in the table below:Unlawful Detention Claims PaidYear£m2016/173.32015/164.12014/154.02013/144.82012/135.0These figures were provided under previous PQ UIN 121985.Part (b): No data held

Refugees: Palestinians

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to support Palestinian refugees seeking to enter the UK as a result of recent violence in Gaza.

Caroline Nokes: We remain deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and are closely monitoring the situation. We are working closely with UN agencies and others to respond to ongoing needs in Gaza, including supporting up to 1 million Gazans by addressing critical water and sanitation needs through UNICEF. The UK is also a long-term supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which provides basic services to 1.3 million people in Gaza, including basic health care.There are safe and legal routes for people to come to the UK should they wish to join family members here, work or study. They would need to meet the requirements of the relevant Immigration Rule under which they were applying to qualify for a visa. Details about the criteria and how to apply are available on the GOV.UK website at: http://www.gov.uk/apply-uk-visa.However, there are no specific provisions in the Immigration Rules for people to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum. Those who need international protection should claim in the first safe country they reach or register with mandated UN agencies – that is the fastest route to safety.

Immigration: Northern Ireland

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the rules governing people with (a) indefinite leave to remain and (b) refugee status to (i) leave and then return to Northern Ireland and (ii) to travel to the Republic of Ireland are.

Caroline Nokes: Individuals in the UK who have indefinite leave to remain or leave as a refugee will not lose their status by leaving and then returning to the UK. They are always required to meet any conditions attached to their status, in line with published guidance: https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration.When travelling outside the UK, these individuals will need to meet the entry requirements of any country to which they intend to enter.

Police: Expenditure

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much has been spent by police forces on handling (a) acid attacks, (b) knife attacks and (c) violent crimes in each year since 2010.

Victoria Atkins: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is a matter for Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Officers to determine how to use their available resources in line with local priorities.

Educational Testing Service

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2018 to Question 142744 on the Educational Testing Service, how many people whose results were marked as questionable were given the opportunity to (a) re-sit a test with another provider and (b) attend an interview; and of those people how many were subsequently refused immigration leave.

Caroline Nokes: No action to refuse leave on the grounds of a questionable certificate was taken against anybody without first giving them the opportunity to re-sit their test with another provider or attend an interview with a Home Office official. Whilst ETS notified the Home Office of 22, 694 questionable UK test certificates, the actual number where it was relevant to require a fresh test and an interview with a Home Office official was much smaller.Data is not held centrally in a way that allows us to give an up to date answer to this question without manually checking individual case records which could only be undertaken at disproportionate cost. UKVI transparency data does provide details of refusal, curtailments and removal decisions in response to the abuse of secure English language testing. A link to the most recent available data is provided here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-and-permanent-migration-data-february-2017The table in SELT_02 is the closest match to the information requested. The data was last published in February 2017 and only contains data to the last quarter (December 2016). ETS data is no longer published after this date

Brook House Immigration Removal Centre

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information his Department holds on whether any G4S staff at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre received charges for unacceptable use of force against detainees.

Caroline Nokes: Allegations of criminal conduct committed by former G4S employees at Brook House were referred to Sussex Police in September 2017.Criminal investigations, and decisions on whether to instigate criminal proceedings, are matters for the police and Crown Prosecution Service respectively.

Undocumented Migrants: Private Rented Housing

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been evicted under the provisions of the Immigration Act 2016 or otherwise made homeless as a result of his Department's actions in each of the last eight years.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office does not hold the information which you have requested. The Home Office does not take eviction action against illegal migrants. The 2016 Act provided new powers of eviction for landlords based upon the tenant’s immigration status, however, the Home Office neither requires landlords to evict nor that they should report back to the Home Office.A full evaluation of the impacts of the Right to Rent scheme, published in October 2015 found no increase in levels of homelessness. The Home Office works closely with local authorities and is not aware of cases presenting as homeless as a consequence of the scheme. In cases where the migrants are vulnerable or face a genuine obstacle to leaving the country, the Home Office can grant permission to rent. In such cases, the landlord has a statutory excuse against any civil penalty.

Knives: Crime

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the reduction in police numbers on levels of knife crime in England and Wales.

Victoria Atkins: On 9 April 2018, the Government published the Serious Violence Strategy to set out the action it is taking to address serious violence and in particular the recent increases in knife crime, gun crime and homicide. The Strategy is taking a multi-strand approach. Law enforcement is very important, but it also depends on partnerships across a number of sectors, such as education, health, social services, housing, youth services, victim services and others.Our analysis highlights that a major factor behind the recent increases in serious violence is changes in the drugs markets. The strategy says that law enforcement plays a vital role in tackling these offences, but big shifts in crime tend to be driven by factors outside the police’s control such as drug market changes.Police have the resources they need to carry out their vital work. In 2017, the Policing Minister visited and spoke to every police force in England and Wales about the demands on policing. That is why we have provided a strong and comprehensive funding settlement that will increase funding by £460m from 2018/19, including £280m of direct funding raised through increases in Council Tax precept which police forces can spend locally. Decisions about frontline policing, and how resources are best deployed, are for Chief Constables and democratically accountable Police and Crime Commissioners.The strategy sets out action that is being taken to address knife crime. This includes the national knife crime media campaign, #knifefree, to raise awareness of the consequences of knife crime among young people and to encourage them to take up positive activities. We will continue to encourage police forces in England and Wales to undertake a series of coordinated national weeks of action to tackle knife crime under Operation Sceptre. We also announced up to £1million for a new round of the anti-knife crime Community Fund on 18 May which will invite bids for funding from community groups to tackle knife crime.

Metals: Theft

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle metal theft in (a) Tyne and Wear, (b) North East England and (c) the UK.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 provides the legislative basis for tackling metal theft across England and Wales by making it more difficult for criminals to dispose of stolen metal through scrap metal yards.Enforcement of the Act is a matter for individual local authorities and for chief constables and Police and Crime Commissioners who must decide how best to deploy their resources to respond to the crimes affecting their local communities

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many successful matches there were between DNA profiles taken from crime scenes and profiles stored on the national DNA database in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Mr Nick Hurd: In 2014-15 there were 29,315 matches between DNA profiles taken from crime scenes and subject records stored on the National DNA Database.In 2015-16 there were 29,935 matches between DNA profiles taken from crime scenes and subject records stored on the National DNA Database.

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many DNA profiles were (a) held on the national DNA database and (b) added to the national DNA database in each of the last eight years.

Mr Nick Hurd: a) The number of sample profiles retained on NDNAD by year:YearTotal number of subject sample profiles retained on NDNADTotal number of crime scene sample profiles retained on NDNAD2010-116,595,295400,7862011-126,969,396405,8482012-136,737,973428,6342013-145,716,085456,8562014-155,766,369486,6912015-165,860,642519,6782016-176,024,032555,3622017-186,196,278590,404 b) The number of samples added to the NDNAD by year:YearNumber of subject profiles loadedNumber of crime scene profiles loaded2010-11474,43739,9952011-12398,86138,8712012-13362,41933,1902013-14361,93335,0052014-15311,74636,9332015-16292,31139,3702016-17269,48940,8292017-18259,09940,067

Alternatives to Prosecution

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many community resolutions there have been by offence in each of the last three years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office publishes police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables on a quarterly basis. The most recent publication covers recorded crime and outcomes data to the year ending December 2017.Information on community resolutions for the last three years, broken down by offence type, can be found in the published open data tables released with the most recent police recorded crime and outcomes publication:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (a) on which motorways and (b) at which locations on those motorways automatic number plate recognition cameras are in use; and what offences such cameras are being used to detect.

Mr Nick Hurd: Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology is used to help detect vehicles suspected of being involved in a broad range of offences, including tackling travelling criminals, organised crime groups and terrorists, and disrupting criminality at a local, force, regional and national level.The Home Office does not hold the information on which motorways – and at which locations on those motorways – automatic number plate recognition cameras are in use. This is an operational matter for individual Chief Constables

Sleeping Rough

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to avoid criminalising rough sleeping when tackling anti-social behaviour.

Victoria Atkins: We are clear that the statutory powers to tackle anti-social behaviour provided by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 should not be used to target people based solely on the fact that they are homeless or rough sleeping. As set out in the statutory guidance that we have provided for frontline professionals on tackling anti-social behaviour, powers such as the Public Spaces Protection Order should only be used to address specific anti-social behaviour that is having a detrimental effect on the community’s quality of life and which is within the control of the person concerned.

Police: Expenditure

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of money spent from the public purse on policing in (a) 1997, (b) 2007, (c) 2010 and (d) 2017.

Mr Nick Hurd: The structure of policing and the way it is funded have changed significantly over the period in question. It is therefore not possible to provide a directly comparable set of figures for total police funding in the years requested.

Department for International Development

Libya: Overseas Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is giving Libya in terms of medical and food aid.

Alistair Burt: From 2017 to 2019, DFID are partnering with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to improve access to quality medical care services for people in the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi and Sabha. The WHO aim to reach 3.6m indirect beneficiaries through DFID’s £2m contribution. This will improve medical access for Libyans, including internally displaced persons, and migrants. The distribution of life-saving medication to health centres began in May 2018. DFID has also contributed to the 2017 and 2018 International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) appeals. Through multi donor support ICRC aim to provide 408,000 people in Libya with food, and provide medical supplies to support 16 health centres and 6 hospitals in 2018. DFID’s £1m contribution will assist ICRC in distributing food and medical supplies to vulnerable people in Libya. As part of our new £75m migration programme, DFID has committed up to £5m of further assistance in Libya. This is expected to include health care provision for migrants and other assistance and protection activities.

South Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment has made of the humanitarian situation in South Sudan, and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: South Sudan continues to experience a man-made humanitarian catastrophe following more than four years of fighting. Over 7 million people face severe food insecurity, an estimated two thirds of the population. The situation continues to worsen and without humanitarian assistance, up to 155,000 could experience famine like conditions. The UN’s Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for 2018 appeals for $1.72 billion to address the acute humanitarian needs in South Sudan, up by more than $100 million from the 2017 appeal.The UK is consistently one of the top three humanitarian donors to South Sudan, and UKAid is saving lives.

Developing Countries: Poverty

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to reduce income and wealth inequality in partner countries.

Harriett Baldwin: Reducing inequality is central to DFID’s work through its mission to eradicate extreme poverty. The UK played a major role in negotiating the 2030 Global Goals and will be at the forefront of delivering them, including Goal 10 on reducing inequalities. The evidence is clear that delivering on the UN’s 2030 Agenda will require higher and more inclusive growth that spreads benefits across society, notably for women and girls and other excluded groups. Through supporting the poorest in partner countries, DFID is helping to reduce inequalities within them, whilst also generating faster growth that can help to close inequality gaps between countries. UK support to building human capital - for example through education, health, nutrition and social protection programmes - works to prevent entrenched poverty and expand access to opportunity.

Palestinians: Health Services

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department is providing to agencies in Palestine to help with medical aid.

Alistair Burt: The UK is working closely with our international partners to monitor the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and ensure a coordinated and effective response to urgent medical needs. The UK provides clean water and rehabilitates sanitation facilities to stop the spread of disease for up to 1 million Gazans through the United Nations Children’s Fund. UK financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority helps to pay the salaries of vetted health public servants in the West Bank. Last year this support provided up to 3,700 immunisations for children and around 185,000 medical consultations. In addition, the UK is a long-term supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which provides basic services, including basic healthcare, to over 800,000 Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and 1.3 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza. I am reviewing how the UK can best support the health system in Gaza at this time. I will keep the House informed of my decision.

Burma: Rohingya

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to Rohingya refugees; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK is a leading donor to the humanitarian effort in Bangladesh, having committed £129m to help since last August. Our help has ensured 391,000 children under the age of seven have been vaccinated, 450,000 people have benefited from support to make their shelters more resistant to heavy rain, and our aid will ensure 250,000 people will continue to have access to safe water through the rainy season. We are supporting 30 ‘child friendly spaces’ to support children with protective services and psychosocial and psychological support, and 19 women’s centres will offer a safe space, psychosocial support and activities to women and girls. The Secretary of State issued a press release outlining our latest £70m support to the Rohingya on 7th May, which will be focussed on ensuring the camps are prepared for rains and flooding. I spoke at a Westminster Hall Debate on the issue the following day.

Developing Countries: Private Education

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Government overseas development assistance expenditure has been spent (a) directly and (b) indirectly on low-fee for profit private schools since 2015; and which countries are the top ten recipients of such assistance.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID does not track its ODA spend along these lines and this information is not held centrally within the department. As a result, this question could only be answered at disproportionate cost.DFID can confirm, however, that it does not currently directly fund any Bridge International Academy schools.The full list of educational programmes DFID engages in can be found at https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/

Burma: Rohingya

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what mental health care programmes her Department is funding for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Alistair Burt: DFID is leading the way in supporting programmes which provide mental health care among the Rohingya. We are supporting 30 ‘child friendly spaces’ to support children with protective services and psychosocial and psychological support. 19 women’s centres will offer a safe space, psychosocial support and activities to women and girls. We also support the provision of medical services, counselling and psychological support to Rohingya refugees who have either witnessed or are survivors of sexual violence.

Department for International Development: Paternity Leave

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many male staff  in her Department have taken shared paternity leave in the last twelve months; and what the length of each such leave was.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID cannot provide the requested information for shared paternity leave; however, we can provide the below information for paternity leave and shared parental leave in the last twelve months. DFID cannot disclose the length of each period of leave as individuals may be identified. Paternity (Home Civil Servants (HCS) & Staff Appointed in Country (SAIC)):Number of Male Staff (HCS & SAIC) *HCS Days LostSAIC Days LostTotal2927919298* We cannot provide the HCS/SAIC breakdown by count of staff for paternity leave as one of the categories is below six. Shared Parental Leave (HCS Only): Number of Male StaffHCS Total Days Lost14561

Iraq: Internally Displaced People

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department provides to internally displaced Christians who wish to return to the Nineveh Plains area of Iraq.

Alistair Burt: Humanitarian, stabilisation and reconstruction needs in Iraq are amongst the most severe in the world, with many millions of people requiring support. The UK prioritises carefully to ensure our funding benefits the most vulnerable people. UK funding is distributed on the basis of need, to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, or ethnicity. This approach is enabling Christians in Iraq to benefit from UK aid. For example, the UK has contributed £14.45 million to the UN’s Funding Facility for Stabilisation (FFS), which helps the Government of Iraq re-establish basic services in areas liberated from Daesh, helping displaced Iraqis return to their places of origin. The FFS is heavily focussed on the Ninewa plains, and is implementing over 200 projects in areas where Christian communities reside. These projects are diverse in scope, and all are targeted at the most acute stabilisation needs, for example the rehabilitation of housing and infrastructure and the reopening of hospitals and schools.

Gaza: Health Services

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to deliver (a) drugs and (b) medical equipment to Gaza.

Alistair Burt: The UK is working closely with our international partners to monitor the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and ensure a coordinated and effective response to urgent medical needs. UK financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority helps to pay the salaries of vetted health public servants in the West Bank. Last year this support provided up to 3,700 immunisations for children and around 185,000 medical consultations annually. In addition, the UK is a long-term supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides basic services, including basic healthcare, to over 800,000 Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and 1.3 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza. I am reviewing how the UK can best support the health system in Gaza at this time. I will keep the House informed of my decision.

Gaza: Overseas Aid

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development,  what steps her Department is taking to ensure that money supplied to the Gaza region is used only for humanitarian purposes.

Alistair Burt: DFID has a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and has robust controls to prevent the diversion of aid. In Gaza: DFID monitors spending closely; maps the flow of funds through each organisation involved in delivery, regularly audits programme spending; and conducts regular field visits to ensure that UK aid reaches the intended beneficiaries and achieves the best development outcomes, thereby ensuring value for money for the UK taxpayer. Additionally, DFID aid complies with UK and international counter terrorism legislation and our funding agreements commit partners to understand and comply with international counter terrorism legislation.

Cabinet Office

Crown Commercial Service: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May 2018 to Question 137438 on Crown Commercial Service: Procurement, how many of the Crown Commercial Service's invitations to tender in the last two years which were not recorded in the Official Journal of the EU received no bids.

Oliver Dowden: This information cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.

Electoral Commission: Fines

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2018 to Question 137479 on UK Membership of EU: Referendums, and with reference to the oral evidence of the Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission to the Committee for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on Fake News on 15 May 2018, Q 2618 and Q2619, HC 363, what recent discussions he has had with the Electoral Commission on the merits of increasing the level at which the Electoral Commission's can levy fines.

Chloe Smith: The Government has regular contact with the Electoral Commission on a range of issues, including its powers, and keeps those matters under review.

Exports: EU Countries and USA

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of exports to (a) the USA and (b) the EU since 2011.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 210.77 KB)

Government Departments: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants there have been in the Commercial Profession in each year since 2014.

Oliver Dowden: From the ONS Civil Service Statistics, based on the profession of post economic and statistic by responsibility level, the following figures are identified under Commercial headcount: 2013: 2,2302014: 3,2802015: 5,5902016: 5,1302017: 5,210 Data caveats:1) Profession definitions relate to the post occupied by the person and are not dependent on qualifications the individual may have.2) Professions involves matching people data to posts. This is considered to have a lower level of precision than other HR metrics so caution must be exercised when drawing any conclusions from these data. It should also be noted that from 2013-2015 the data relates to 'Procurement and Contract Management' as opposed to 'Commercial'.

Living Wage

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of people in (i) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency, (ii) the Liverpool City Region and (ii) England who are paid less than the Living Wage Foundation's living wage.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 137.33 KB)

Department for International Trade

Small Businesses: Commonwealth

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department plans to take steps to help SMEs understand the different regulatory environments of Commonwealth nations in order trade with those economies.

Graham Stuart: The Department has an on the ground presence in 25 Commonwealth countries. These teams work closely with British small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) helping them boost their exports. Such activities ensured that my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade could announce £1.5bn of UK-Commonwealth commercial deals at the recent Commonwealth Business Forum in London. He also announced policies to help boost intra-Commonwealth trade, one of which was the launch of the Commonwealth Standards Network to increase the use of international standards across the Commonwealth, which will support private and public sector users of standards, including SMEs. We also continue to look at reducing trade barriers bilaterally which will benefit SMEs through our current Working Groups with countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and India.

Department for International Trade: Staff

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions his Department has had with HM Treasury on staff changes for his Department.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Trade: Staff

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of any decrease in its staffing on its ability to carry out its remit.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Arts and Culture

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an estimate of the amount of funding his Department has spent on arts and culture provision in former coalfield communities in each of the last five years.

Michael Ellis: Historic England and Heritage Lottery Fund support coalfield communities by conserving and protecting key industrial heritage sites, their associated settlements and community buildings which provide a strong sense of place and community identity, supporting the economic and social regeneration of coalfield communities through heritage regeneration. Between April 2012 and March 2017, Heritage Lottery Fund awarded £285.3m to 1,302 projects in coalfield community areas within the UK. By regional breakdown this includes East Midlands - £53,132,700; North East -£18,846,633; North West - £6,848,900; South East -£22,186,300; West Midlands -£35,198,600; Yorkshire and The Humber -£58,670,600. Arts Council England have also provided significant investment into coalfield communities over the last five years: 2012/2013, £38,970,236; 2013/2014, £31,766,586; 2014/2015, £28,307,054; 2015/2016, £34,077,475; and 2016/2017, £41,625,973. In addition to this, between 2013/14 and 2017/18 the National Coal Mining Museum England has received, on average, £2.45 million a year of funding.

Tourism

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps Government is taking to support social tourism initiatives throughout the UK.

Michael Ellis: The Government’s Arms Length Body, VisitEngland supports the work of the Family Holiday Association, a national charity dedicated to helping provide breaks and day trips at the British seaside for families who struggle to financially provide holidays for their family. They are also a member of England’s Inclusive Tourism Group which VisitEngland originally convened in 2015, which aim to provide access for all to tourism destinations and businesses. VisitScotland have their own accessibility team which develop and support products to increase accessibility for visitors, however they do work in partnership with VisitEngland.

Holidays: Low Incomes

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions the Government has had with the tourism industry on helping families with low incomes take a holiday away from home.

Michael Ellis: VisitEngland work with and support the Family Holiday Association in their work to help make it easier for financially challenged families to take short breaks to the British seaside. VisitEngland also provide resources for tourism businesses to help make themselves more accessible to all, be it from disability or financial disadvantage. VisitScotland have their own accessibility team which develop and support products to increase accessibility for visitors, however they do work in partnership with VisitEngland.

Tourism

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the value of social tourism to the UK (a) domestic tourism industry and (b) economy.

Michael Ellis: The department doesn’t hold information on the value of social tourism to the domestic tourism industry or the economy. In 2016, as a whole, tourism accounts for £66.2bn of the UK’s GVA and approximately 1.5m jobs across the country. Scotland’s tourism sector accounted for £5.2bn of GVA in 2013 and approximately 280,000 jobs in 2014.

Sports: Television

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his policy is on home nation sports events being televised on free-to-air television.

Margot James: It is important that people are able to watch national sporting events on free to air television. That is why the law ensures that certain national sporting events are shown to the widest possible audience through the listed events regime. The list of protected events contains a range of competitions in which home nations teams feature including the World Cup Finals and the Six Nations. There are no plans to amend the list.

Tourism

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the economic value of tourism to (a) the UK and (b) Yorkshire.

Michael Ellis: Tourism is a vitally important aspect of the UK’s economy, worth over £66 billion to the UK’s GVA in 2016, which is over 14% of the UK’s total GVA. Tourism also supports over 1.5m jobs across the country. In the Yorkshire and Humber area, VisitEngland’s Tourism survey of domestic overnight visitors shows that 10.7m visits were made over the same period, accounting for spend of £1.75 billion.

House of Commons Commission

Parliamentary Estate: Recycling

Jamie Stone: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what proportion of disposable (a) cups, (b) food containers and (c) cutlery used on the parliamentary estate is recycled.

Tom Brake: We do not receive a comprehensive breakdown of the totals of these wastes within either our mixed recycling or general waste streams.Plastic cups can be collected as part of the dry mixed recycling scheme, enabling them to be recycled.Food containers and cutlery are at present collected as part of our general waste stream due to potential contamination from food and liquids. Instructions for our general waste bins in Parliament are that the only items deposited in this waste steam are non-recyclables and contaminated waste.Within the single-use avoidable plastics strategy announced on 15 May 2018, the House Authorities committed to replacing the existing catering disposables range, which is predominantly non-recyclable, for a compostable alternative. This will enable the entire range of disposable items provided by the House to be recycled.

Wales Office

Virgin Media: Swansea

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Welsh Government on the decision by Virgin Media to consult on the closure of its Swansea site.

Alun Cairns: I have discussed the issue with the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure and we are committed to working together to ensure the best outcomes for the individuals involved. The Department for Work and Pensions and Welsh Government are working closely together to provide redundancy support.

Virgin Media: Swansea

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with Virgin Media on the decision to consult on the closure of its Swansea site.

Alun Cairns: Following the announcement that Virgin were consulting on closing their Swansea site, I spoke with the Chief Executive Officer to discuss their plans. I sought to facilitate re-consideration and establish a dialogue with the Welsh Government. I sought assurances that Virgin would support all employees who have been asked to relocate, who may be in a role at risk of redundancy or who may wish to take another role with Virgin Media or one of their partners.

Virgin Media: Swansea

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps he is taking to help ensure Virgin Media operations in Swansea remain open.

Alun Cairns: This is a commercial decision for Virgin Media and I have asked them to re-consider and sought to facilitate a dialogue with the Welsh Government. They have assured me they are working with and supporting all employees who have been asked to relocate, who may be in a role at risk of redundancy or who may wish to take another role with Virgin Media or one of their partners.

Virgin Media: Swansea

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps he is taking to support the workforce affected by the decision by Virgin Media to consult on the closure of its Swansea site.

Alun Cairns: The Government is working closely with both Virgin Media and Sitel to ensure affected employees are able to find alternative employment as quickly as possible. DWP’s Rapid Response Service and the Welsh Government’s ReAct have several tools which they can deploy to ensure that this is the case. In addition, the Government has engaged with local contact centre employers to ensure that any vacancies are shared at the earliest opportunity.